


On the Run/True Freedom

by mean_whale



Series: Freedom [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Abduction, Alpha Katsuki Yuuri, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Beating, Biting, Boys Kissing, Brotherly Love, Caning, Collars, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cutting, Discussion of Abortion, Fever, First Kiss, First Meetings, Forced Abortion, Holding Hands, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Insecurity, Intimacy, Kissing, Knotting, Love Confessions, M/M, Marking, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Men Crying, Minor Injuries, Nesting, Non-Consensual Spanking, Omega Verse, Omega Victor Nikiforov, On the Run, Painful Sex, Past Abortion, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Domestic Violence, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Sexual Assault, Psychological Trauma, Reunions, Scars, Scent Marking, Scenting, Scents & Smells, Scratching, Self-Harm, Sexual Tension, Stitches, Violent Thoughts, bad first time, bad medical practises, unhealthy abortion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-11-05 05:27:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 84,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11006934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mean_whale/pseuds/mean_whale
Summary: Viktor has gotten accustomed to his life on the streets, when he's suddenly abducted by two unknown people who take him away.Yuuri has a condition that has prevented him from ever having a proper relationship with an omega.When Viktor, who doesn't trust alphas, meets Yuuri, who doesn't trust himself, will their lives change for better or for worse?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I always wanted to write a proper omegaverse AU and now it suddenly decided to happen.

It was a hot day, the sun blazing down with such heat that the road was cracking. The air was still, and on days like that Viktor usually lost a friend or two to heatstroke. Viktor was hiding behind a dumpster on an alley that was shadowed by the surrounding buildings. He was alone, and every time another omega showed up in search of shelter, he hissed angrily without revealing his identity. It was easier that way. It was easier to turn them away when neither of them knew who the other one was.

It was dangerous to crowd, Viktor had learned early on. He didn't want to think about how many of his friends he had lost when a group of stray omegas had been spotted by the officials. Not everybody could outrun highly trained alphas, not even Viktor, but he had his ways of deceiving them. Viktor unconsciously lifted a hand to the tight leather collar around his neck. It was hot, and on days like this Viktor was tempted to take it off, if only for a little moment. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember the last time he had felt safe enough to take it off. He had forgotten his own scent after wearing the collar for years. Sometimes he wasn't sure he even had a scent anymore.

The sun was slowly making its way across the sky, and soon it would expose Viktor's hiding place. He was thirsty. He should go look for water, but it was risky. It would be better to wait for the night and sneak to a fountain under cover of darkness, but the day had been so hot that waiting was agony. He hadn't eaten anything since the previous day either, and he was starting to feel weak.

It was better to leave before the sun would shift enough to shine to the alley. That way he would be more likely to avoid detection.

Viktor didn't get up immediately. He needed more time to force his body up. Every day when it seemed to get harder to get moving, Viktor worried that he might be getting too old for his life on the run. He thought about life as a domestic omega, how much easier it would be to not have to scavenge for food and sleep with one eye open in case he was spotted.

Viktor shook his head and got up. He was getting delirious if the life of a domestic omega was starting to appeal to him. He had sworn to leave that life behind. It wasn't worth it.

Viktor rubbed his arm over the long scar that followed the line of his vein.

Yup, definitely not worth it.

Viktor sneaked to the edge of the alley and peeked out. There were only a few people around, and none of them looked threatening. He took a tentative step forward, looked around again. It looked safe, and he slipped to the street, all the time aware that he stood out like a sore. He was about to make his way forward, but was abruptly stopped by a hand grapping a hold of his wrist.

Fear spiked, and Viktor turned around while simultaneously pulling his hand to get it free. He had been caught by a person he didn't know, but who didn't look like any authority that was usually after stray omegas. He looked like a person of some importance with his clean clothing, but didn’t carry a badge that an officer would. Viktor hissed and used his free hand to scratch the person, who yelped and let go. Viktor didn't wait to take off as fast as he could, running under the direct sunlight with his bare feet slapping with each step. He knew he couldn't run far with how weak he was, so he took advantage of his knowledge of the small alleys to lose anyone who might be following him.

It took shorter than usual for Viktor to have to stop. His stomach felt like it was curling up in itself, and he was sweating. Sweating was bad. He needed water. He really badly needed water. His lips were dry. He tried to lick them, but his mouth was too dry as well, tongue sticking to his lips. He would have to get water.

Viktor looked around before leaving his hiding place, this time making sure that no one could see him. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him, but he tried to push it back to keep his focus. He had to have his senses open to survive. He could do it, he had done it many times. He was safe.

The sun was burning his skin, and he wished he had a hat. He would have to try to find one later, but right now the main importance was getting a drink. He wished that he still looked like a domestic omega. It would be much easier to sneak around if everyone thought that he was with someone. At first he had done his best to maintain his grooming, but it wasn't worth it. It took too much time off survival, and it made the other strays shun him because they thought he wasn't one of them.

Viktor turned a corner and was temporarily blinded by the brightness of the white walls reflecting the sunlight. He shadowed his eyes with his hand and continued moving quickly, when he heard footsteps approaching. He ran to the next alley, stubbing his toe as he went and squealed in pain. He looked down and saw that his toe was bleeding, the nail in shatters, and he swore in his mind. It was not his best day.

Viktor had made it nearly all the way to the fountain, when he was caught. He wasn't entirely sure how it happened, but he later deduced that the relief of finally getting water had distracted him from paying enough attention to his surroundings. He took one step out of the shadows when he felt a hand press against his mouth and nose, a stinging smell filled his lungs, and he lost consciousness when a strong arm wrapped around his body.

*

He thought he was dreaming when he started hearing snippets of conversation.

“How exactly do you think he's any better than the others? He reeks.”

“Just give me a collar and we'll see.”

Viktor felt something wrap tightly around his neck. It was cold and sharp, and it felt nothing like his own collar. He wanted to take it off but his arm was too heavy to lift.

“He's waking up!”

“No, he isn't. You're just skittish because he scratched you.”

“I'm telling you he's waking up.”

Viktor started to realise that he wasn't dreaming at all. He couldn't remember how, but he had been taken. He had never been caught before, but he was quite sure that a shelter wouldn't smell so clean. He forced his eyes open.

Viktor let his instincts take over. He pulled back only to realise that he was in a tub. Water splashed onto the floor and he waved his arms around in the hopes that he could scratch whoever had caught him.

“Do something!” the person at the foot of the tub yelled to the man closer to Viktor.

Viktor aimed to the man who he could tell was an alpha, but couldn't reach. The alpha seemed startled, and Viktor scrambled out of the tub, backing away to the wall. He looked around, trying to figure out a way to escape, but his thoughts were still sluggish after being drugged.

The alpha took a step towards Viktor, and the omega reacted with an angry hiss.

“No!” he screamed and frantically tried to come up with a plan.

There was only one door in the room, and it was on the opposite wall. He would have to get past the two alphas (or maybe the other person was a beta, Viktor wasn't sure and didn't care), but he couldn't think clearly. He could hardly keep himself upright, he noticed, and leaned to the wall.

“Get him now!” the possible beta shouted.

He had tanned skin and chestnut hair, and his brownish eyes were peering around the room nervously. Viktor noticed that he was holding his arm that had been wrapped in a bandage. Slowly it started to dawn on Viktor: the possibility that these two had followed him when he tried to escape. He had run as fast as he could, yet he hadn't been able to lose them.

What was the point of running? Viktor thought when the big alpha prepared to lounge forward. His clothes looked soft and cool, and Viktor was starting to think that he had been taken in by a criminal who acquired his money by selling omegas.

The door opened, and Viktor ran forward.

“What's going on?” the person by the door asked, when Viktor was tackled by the big alpha.

“Katsuki-sama!” the possible beta said when he saw who it was at the door.

This “Katsuki-sama” didn’t seem to be interested in him, however; he was watching Viktor kicking and scratching at the large alpha who was holding him, hissing with all his might as he tried to escape.

“What’s going on?” he asked again.

The two goons looked at each other almost guiltily, and Viktor was getting angrier as he realised that the alpha laying on top of him didn’t need to apply much strength to keep him from running.

“We,” the man with the injured arm said slowly, looking at the alpha laying on Viktor for support, but Viktor intended to do anything to stop them from getting comfortable and started trashing around even more, “found this omega. And thought that he might be to your liking.”

Those words hit Viktor hard and he stopped moving. He turned to look up to this so-called Katsuki to take in the person that was standing by the door. He was dressed in white, loose clothes, the fabric looking silky soft, and Viktor thought that he was either a prince or a criminal boss. Either way he didn’t like it. The man looked too young and too soft, his brown eyes round and big and hair so black it was shining. He stepped forward, and Viktor hissed.

“What’s your name?” the Katsuki person asked.

Viktor squinted at him in anger before spitting at his feet.

“Hey!” came from above him, and the alpha pressed his face to the floor so that his cheek was squished flat against the cold tile.

“Stop that,” the man before them said.

Immediately the hold on Viktor’s head disappeared. He raised his head instantly, not willing to show any kind of submission in front of the trio in the room. He might have been captured, but he was not going to go easy.

“The two of you can leave,” Katsuki said.

“But Katsuki-sama,” came the possible beta’s immediate response, although he then bit his lip and bowed his head.

The alpha keeping Viktor down didn’t say anything but wasn’t moving either. Viktor thought that Katsuki was perhaps not a criminal boss if his underlings showed such signs of disobedience to him.

“Preferably today,” Katsuki added, voice void of humour.

“But he’s feral,” the alpha on Viktor said, and Viktor shivered.

He was not feral! He was free, and it wasn’t his fault that his freedom made it necessary for him to act as if he hadn’t been tamed.

That thought itself made Viktor even angrier, because of course he hadn’t been tamed. He didn’t need taming because he was born just as civilised as any alpha.

“He won’t do anything,” Katsuki said.

He turned his eyes to Viktor. His voice had been laced with alpha power, and while Viktor could still stare back at him with spite, he was unable to disobey the suggestion. He had no choice but to remain still as the alpha who had been pinning him to the floor got up. He and the possible beta headed to the door, but stopped before walking out to shoot a last glance to Katsuki who was standing before Viktor. They closed the door behind them.

Katsuki walked over to the door and locked it before returning to his previous spot before Viktor.

“I’m sorry for using such an off-handed method to keep you calm,” he said. “But I can’t have you trying to run away with guards everywhere ready to capture you again.”

Viktor was seething in his head, hoping more than ever that he didn’t have the weaknesses omegas had just so he could attack and claw his way out of the room. Katsuki crouched down and Viktor eyed him suspiciously. He had enough life experience to know not to trust alphas.

“I don’t know what has happened to you,” Katsuki said calmly. “You don’t have to tell me. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

Viktor frowned at that, and the alpha chuckled.

“I mean it,” he said.

“You locked the door,” Viktor spat out.

Katsuki nodded and hummed in agreement.

“Like I said, it’s not good for you to try to run with guards everywhere,” he said. “You could get hurt.”

Viktor laughed at that in distaste. He knew the tricks alphas tried to pull to appear trustworthy, and he wasn’t going to fall for them.

“Hear me out,” the alpha said. “While you’re here, you might as well wash yourself. It’s a shame that your beautiful hair is in such a condition.”

He reached out to touch the knotty strands of hair, but quickly pulled his hand away when Viktor scratched, shot up and backed away to crouch next to the tub. Viktor was quite appreciative of the fact that the alpha seemed unfazed by this and continued to calmly look at him. He hissed angrily anyway. Katsuki smiled.

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to alarm you.”

Viktor laughed again, his voice hollow.

“You’re no better than the rest,” he proclaimed.

The alpha cocked his head and didn’t stop smiling.

“If you say so,” he replied. “But I do wish that you’ll take a bath. I’ll give you some new clothes and food, and then you can leave if you want to.”

The talk about food made Viktor perk up, although he did his best to keep leering at the alpha with suspicion.

“Are you hungry?” Katsuki asked.

He had no idea how much Viktor wanted to eat!

“You will let me go?” Viktor asked instead of answering.

He had learned to not trust alphas, and he had also learned to keep his head clear even in dire needs, such as hunger or thirst.

“Yes,” the alpha said. “How could I keep you if you don’t want to stay?”

Viktor knew many ways, but didn’t say anything. He did, however, turn to look at the tub thoughtfully. It was tempting, the water probably nice and cool.

“I have a suggestion,” the alpha said, when Viktor kept quiet.

Viktor turned to look at him, eyes burning and nostrils flaring. He would smell any mischief; he would be ready when the alpha decided to turn against him.

“Why don’t you take a bath,” Katsuki said, “while I go get you some water to drink.”

Viktor jolted at that, his thirst much more serious than his hunger. The alpha kept smiling.

“I’ll bring you something to eat too,” he continued, “although I do hope that you’ll let me offer you a proper dinner after the bath.”

Viktor didn’t say anything, but he really needed to eat and drink. He couldn’t keep resisting the offer.

“I will lock the door while I’m gone,” the alpha said, “but it’s for your own safety, okay?”

Viktor frowned at that, but the alpha stood up and turned around as if it was nothing. Viktor was still suspicious, but the fact that the alpha had turned his back at him was a sign of vulnerability, and not many alphas would show that to an omega. Or maybe it could be described as misplaced trust – Viktor could easily attack now that the alpha wasn’t looking, he could rip his throat open and his precious goons wouldn’t be able to stop it.

He stayed still, however, watched the alpha leave the room, heard the lock click and muffled voices from the other side. The other two must have been waiting there.

Viktor turned to look at the bath tub again. The water must have cooled down considerably by then, but it didn’t matter after having spent the day in the heat. He was alone in the bathroom, so he might as well wash himself. He couldn’t quite remember the last time he had been able to bathe properly, always washing himself at nights by distant creeks and heart hammering in his chest in fear of being caught.

Slowly Viktor got into the tub. He was only reluctant to do it because he had been told to do it – by an alpha nonetheless. However, he couldn’t deny the pleasure of sitting in a tub-full of clean water that he could use to wash himself. Not to mention that he didn’t need to hurry just to get away before someone would show up and try to take him away.

That’s because you already have been taken away, Viktor told himself. It soured his mood even more to think that he had been captured. If he couldn’t trust himself to stay out of trouble, what was the point of trying to live his life as a stray?

Viktor thought about this while slowly rubbing his skin clean. Most of his body was decent, although sweaty after the run, but his hands and feet were bad. Especially his feet. He didn’t usually bother washing them properly just because they were bound to get dirty again soon. Maybe it would have made sense to not wash them now either, but he might as well.

He hissed in pain when he touched one of his toes, and remembered stubbing it right before he was captured. It wasn’t bleeding anymore, and most of the blood had already been washed away, but his nail was in shatters and it hurt.

The lock clattered, and Viktor immediately turned to look, ready to attack. Katsuki walked in with a tray and smiled when he saw Viktor in the tub. Viktor couldn’t – and didn’t even want to – stop a hiss rising from his chest.

“Is the water alright?” the alpha asked.

Viktor didn’t say anything. He wanted to keep their communication to a minimum. He was not interested in socialising with alphas. He kept rubbing his toes clean as the alpha locked the door again and approached the tub. Viktor stopped what he was doing and turned to him again, wary of his presence so close to him.

“I think you’ll need some clean water,” Katsuki said as he peered into the tub.

Viktor looked down to the water and was surprised to see how dirty it had turned. The alpha walked back to the door and opened it.

“Michele,” he called someone.

Viktor watched as the possible beta from before appeared in the doorway.

“I need you to draw a new bath,” Katsuki said.

This Michele person looked jumpy, and Viktor was pleased to have asserted some kind of dominance over him. He grabbed his injured arm – probably unconsciously – before nodding and stepping into the room, eyes focused on Viktor.

“Come on,” Katsuki said as he turned to Viktor. “Get out so Michele can change the water.”

Viktor wanted to stay in the bath just so he didn’t have to do what he was told, but he knew it was ridiculous given the state of the water he was sitting in. He slowly stood up, water dripping down his body, and stepped out of the tub, keeping an eye on both the men in the room. He thought about the door that was unlocked, thought about running, but he knew that this Katsuki was right when he said it was no use running. Who knew what his guards would do?

Viktor stood by the tub, waiting for Michele who was slowly walking towards him. The man looked nauseous, eyes constantly turning to him. Viktor smirked, and he jerked back.

“Come here,” Katsuki said, and Viktor reluctantly turned his gaze to the alpha.

He was still not pleased to be doing what an alpha told him to do, but for the moment he had no choice, so he simply walked over. When he passed by Michele, he hissed quietly, and the man jumped. Viktor could finally tell he was a beta. It disappointed him some; it would have been nice to know he had such an effect on an alpha.

“Have some water,” Katsuki said and raised a glass.

Viktor took it, but looked at the contents suspiciously. Sure, it looked like water, but how could he know for sure? He sniffed at it, detecting nothing out of the ordinary, then glanced at the alpha standing before him. Katsuki had a friendly smile on his face, and it sickened Viktor. If he wasn’t so desperately thirsty, he would have thrown the contents of his glass on the alpha’s face. He took the risk and sipped his drink. It tasted like plain water. He took a second sip, and couldn’t stop himself from drowning the rest. It was cold and it was wet, and Viktor felt like his saliva glands were starting to work properly again. He shoved the glass towards the alpha who hadn’t stopped smiling.

“You want more?” Katsuki asked.

Viktor didn’t nod, even though the temptation was great. He simply stared. Now that he was closer he could tell that he was taller than the alpha, and it pleased him.

“You can have as much as you need,” Katsuki said and took the glass from Viktor’s hand. “But how about a little snack for now?”

Katsuki gestured towards the tray he had brought in. There was a bowl of cut up fruit on it: papaya, mango, dragon fruit, and an assortment of melons. Viktor wanted to eat it all so bad, but he restrained himself. He couldn’t show such weakness to an alpha. He had to stay in control of his own needs.

“It’s okay,” Katsuki said. “You can have as much as you want.”

Viktor stared at the bowl of fruit like it was an insult, while battling his desire to down the entire selection in one go.

“Take it,” the alpha said.

It sounded like a suggestion and not like an order, and that was probably what finally made Viktor give in. His hand quickly shot out and he snatched a slice of watermelon, which he proceeded to wolf down. He hesitated after that, hand hovering towards the bowl again, before he took a piece of dragon fruit and swallowed it nearly whole.

“The bath is ready,” the beta Michele said from behind Viktor, but Viktor was much more interested in the fruit bowl.

When Katsuki turned his back to escort Michele out and lock the door, Viktor ate as much and as quickly as he could. The alpha broke into a bright smile when he turned back and saw most of the fruit gone.

“You must have been starving,” he said and stepped closer again.

Viktor hissed out of reflex, and the alpha stopped.

“I don’t know why you have become so hostile towards alphas,” he said, “but I promise you I mean no harm. Maybe that doesn’t mean much to you if you’ve had trouble with alphas betraying your trust in the past, but I will never do anything you don’t want me to do.”

“Except have me captured,” Viktor spat out.

The alpha frowned.

“I didn’t order this,” he said. “Michele and Takeshi were acting on their own, but their intention wasn’t to harm you either.”

Viktor laughed.

“They have rescued feral omegas before,” the alpha started to explain, but Viktor stopped him.

“I don’t need rescuing,” he said.

Katsuki looked at him long and hard before breaking into a smile and nodding.

“I can see that you’re self-reliant,” he said. “Not everyone is as independent as you, not everyone has the necessary skills to survive on the streets. Most don’t want that either.”

“None want to be captured against their will,” Viktor said.

The alpha leaned his head to the side.

“The more they have spent time on the streets the less they want to be rescued, even if their life depended on it,” he said.

“You act all high and mighty,” Viktor said angrily. “You have it so easy, just sitting here in your fancy castle and telling people what to do, while we have no rights. You call us feral, I call us free.”

He turned away from the alpha without losing sight of him. He didn’t want to talk. He wanted to leave. However, the promise of a proper meal was keeping him from trying to go yet.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Katsuki said.

“Of course you did!” Viktor spat.

He was tired of alphas acting like they cared when they didn’t even understand. He was tired of being inferior just because he was born an omega. He was tired of… Well, he was plain tired. Viktor thought about his years on the run, about not being able to sleep properly because someone might spot him and snatch him away, about having nightmares that his old alpha would somehow track him down even if he had travelled so far and take him back and punish him for disobeying.

“If you want some privacy, I can go,” Katsuki said.

Viktor looked at him properly. He didn’t understand this alpha. Many things he said and did were typical of manipulative alphas, but why would he leave Viktor alone and at a risk of harming himself as a way out? It didn’t make sense to him, and he decided to stay alert, because at some point the alpha was bound to reveal his true colours, and when that happened, Viktor would be ready.

The alpha waited for a moment, but when Viktor said nothing, he smiled and left the room. Viktor waited and listened, but the lock didn’t click. The alpha was probably waiting right outside so he wouldn’t run, but the knowledge of the door being unlocked was oddly freeing. It made Viktor feel like maybe this alpha really was different, although he quickly pushed that thought away and reminded himself to stay vigilant.

He heard mumbled voices through the door: Katsuki was probably talking to his underlings or whatever the hell those two were. They can’t have been servants, because of one of their status as alpha, so they must have been close to their boss. Who seemed to be Katsuki. Viktor wouldn’t be able to lower his guard in the least before he found out who this alpha was. He had concluded that he was probably not a criminal, but now that he thought about it, he didn’t have many things to base that on. It was a hunch, and that was never good basis for conclusions.

Viktor walked over to the tub that had been filled with clean water. He hesitated. He looked around the room to take in his surroundings without focusing on escape. It was a big bathroom with beige walls and a big skylight, sun streaming in to illuminate the place. Close to the tub there was a big cauldron for heating the water. Next to it there was a stream of water running through the wall and down to a basin where you could easily draw it with the different sized ladles that were placed on a neat row. Viktor dipped his finger into the water; it was cold and refreshing. At the other end of the room there was a mirror on the wall, and Viktor walked over. He hadn’t seen his image in a few days, but he had thought that he had a better idea of what he looked like. However, he was surprised to see how bad he had gotten: his face was smudged with dirt, probably from having wiped his sweat off with his dirty hands, and his hair was a knotty mess that had started to gather into a weird nest at the back of his neck. He looked down to his body, noting how his ribs were visible through his skin, and for a moment he allowed himself to be saddened by how he had withered away during his time on the streets. He used to be such a well-groomed omega, and now he was this stick figure with a hair that would probably need to be cut to help it.

His eyes stopped to his neck and on the golden collar that had been put on him. He didn’t like it: it was hard and tight, nothing like his own soft leather collar. He didn’t understand why anyone would even make a collar like that, it was pressing into his skin in an irritating way.

Viktor turned back to the water. He used the cold and hot water to mix a nice warm bucket-full, and started washing his face. He noticed that he still had dirt on his toes too, and continued to scrub them before turning his attention to his hair. He dipped it in the bucked to get any dirt off, then looked around the room to see if there was soap that he could use. He was surprised to find none, and he scoffed to himself. What kind of a bathroom had no soap?

 _The kind where they bring feral omegas to be washed before being taken to their king_ , he thought, and shivered.

Viktor returned to the tub and sat in. The water was still somewhat warm, and it relaxed his muscles, making him realise how sore his body was. It was no wonder after having been manhandled like he had been, and he wished that he could go to sleep and not have to fear of being injured.

There was a knock on the door, and Viktor jumped. He turned to watch the door open, having drawn his legs up and ready to attack anyone who might do him harm.

Katsuki peeked in through the crack.

“I was thinking that you might need some help with your hair,” he said.

He stepped in with a tray full of different kinds of bottles. Viktor didn’t like that at all. Maybe some of the bottles were innocent soap containers, but what about the rest? He didn’t want to be drugged ever again, and he warily looked at the alpha lock the door before approaching the tub.

“I asked for some oils that might help with the knots,” Katsuki said and set the tray on the floor. “Here’s some soap too. This one’s apparently very good for light hair.”

He picked up a bottle and showed it to Viktor.

“Do you want to try it?” he asked.

Viktor shook his head in horror. He wasn’t sure why, but he had convinced himself that this was only a plot to make him subdue to something horrible, and he wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

“Are you sure?” the alpha asked. “Your hair must be so beautiful.”

Viktor frowned. He didn’t like being called beautiful. The alpha seemed unfazed by his disinterest and lifted the bottle for a better view. Viktor noticed that there was a bandage around his wrist. That must have been where he had scratched.

“Let me help you,” the alpha said.

He slowly reached a hand towards Viktor, and Viktor scratched, hissing angrily. He tried to back away, but the tub wasn’t allowing it. Katsuki’s hand faltered, but he didn’t pull it away, even though Viktor’s nails left nasty wounds on his skin. Blood was seeping through the scratches and Viktor continued hissing, but the alpha continued reaching for him. Viktor was filled with dread, and he needed to get out, but the warm water had made him reluctant to move. He yelped like a wounded dog when the alpha’s fingers brushed against his forehead and hair, scratching again only to find it ineffective.

“Please,” the alpha said quietly, softly like he really cared, and Viktor had no idea how to react.

Alphas never said please, they never showed any signs of vulnerability and they never gave omegas the upper hand, so what was this alpha doing? What was he after? What did he think he would get from Viktor?

Viktor spat towards him, but the alpha managed to dodge.

“Please,” he repeated.

Viktor felt his resolve crumbling. He had never heard an alpha say that word, had never dreamed that he would hear it from an alpha, let alone being said to him. The alpha’s scent wasn’t assertive either, so he wasn’t trying to used underhanded tricks to manipulate Viktor, and it made no sense. A tiny drop of blood trailed down his arm, and Viktor looked at it, feeling almost bad for being the cause.

He felt the alpha’s fingers press against his scalp, the feeling unfamiliar to him but oh so right. His eyes widened when he didn’t try to pull away, something in him curious to find how this new situation would play out. He looked at the alpha’s face, but Katsuki was focused on watching his own hand disappear into the mess of Viktor’s hair.

“It must have been ages since you’ve last had the chance to take care of yourself,” the alpha mumbled, fingers combing through the hair careful of not pulling on the knots.

Viktor swallowed. He didn’t want to like this alpha, but the entire situation was so calm that he seemed unable to pull back. The alpha’s scent was stable and nonthreatening, and Viktor cringed inwardly when he noticed he was hoping that this was his alpha.

 _I don’t want to belong to anyone_ , he reminded himself, but at the same time he found himself pressing closer to the alpha’s touch.

“Let me help you,” Katsuki said and lifted a comb up from the tray and for Viktor to see.

Viktor didn’t want to, but he also wanted to. This conflict inside him was troubling, and the calmness of the alpha’s scent as well as the tubful of water was not helping him at all. He found himself sliding down the tub’s edge to settle comfortably as the alpha moved closer and started disentangling his hair. He kept his senses alert, smelling each drop of hair oil that Katsuki used on him, keeping a constant watch of the alpha’s scent for signs of deceit, but it was hard to not slip into relaxed comfort as his hair was being handled with such care by a stranger who seemed to pose no threat.

Viktor didn’t know how long it took, but eventually the alpha placed the comb down and added soap to Viktor’s hair to wash it clean. He went to get a bucket of clean water and rinsed Viktor’s hair carefully.

“I can’t get all of the knots out,” he said. “I can ask someone who knows hair better for help.”

“It’s okay,” Viktor said, and realised it was the first thing he had said without sounding hostile.

“It’s a pity,” the alpha mumbled and stroked Viktor’s hair before getting up. “Do you want to stay in the bath?”

Viktor turned to look at the alpha. He didn’t know what to say. The water didn’t feel as comfortable as it had before, but he was reluctant to leave the tub and find out what would happen next. He didn’t want anything to happen. He wanted to be back alone, free to go anywhere he wanted to and not have to worry that this friendly alpha might turn unfriendly at any moment.

He watched how Katsuki walked to the shelf next to the door and pulled out a big towel that looked soft and warm.

“Let’s go eat,” the alpha said and offered the towel towards Viktor, who was still sitting in the tub and trying to read the situation.

Slowly Viktor got out of the tub and stood still, dripping water onto the floor. He felt his hair hang heavy over his back, so the alpha must have gotten most of the knots off. Katsuki stood still, a friendly look on his face and arms open with the towel hanging between them. Viktor took a step forward, but then stopped. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was scared that allowing all this to happen would eventually trap him with the alpha.

They both stood still for a while. The room was warm, but the water on Viktor’s skin made him shiver. It was quiet, it was still, and Viktor thought that a part of him must have given up fighting already, because he wasn’t trying to run away. It was sad, and he was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Katsuki approach him.

“Are you okay?” the alpha asked.

He was too close, and Viktor wanted to lash out, but he controlled the urge. He looked at the scratches on the alpha’s arm and decided that it was enough for now. He wouldn’t scratch unless he was being seriously threatened. Being offered a towel when he was wet was not a threat.

Viktor stayed still as the alpha wrapped the towel around him and rubbed his back and arms to dry them. Viktor looked at his focused face and thought about how easy it would be to reach out and claw at his face, maybe blind him, but he didn’t want to. And he hated himself for letting an alpha get that close without the urge to make him bleed to death.

“We’ll go find you some clothes,” Katsuki said and stepped back.

Viktor’s legs and hair were still wet. The towel was hanging on his shoulders like a cape, and it suddenly felt heavy. He wanted to drop to the floor and stay there until death would release him from this life of misery. But if he really didn’t care anymore, he might as well follow the alpha, right?

The door opened, and Viktor walked out, the alpha’s hand pressing warmly against his lower back. The two underlings were outside, both jumping when Viktor showed up. Michele looked like he might be sick soon, but the bigger one only frowned.

“Go let them know we’ll be ready to eat soon,” Katsuki said.

Michele nodded curtly and left, but the alpha seemed reluctant to go.

“You too, Takeshi,” Katsuki said.

The alpha nodded, glanced at Viktor and growled lowly, but left too. Viktor stood still until the pressure against his back was back, and he was being led along the hallway. The only thing he let sink in was how big the house must be, but otherwise he was mindlessly walking on as the alpha guided him into a room. He didn’t pay any mind to the room either, simply observed the alpha as he dug up some clothes and tried handing them to Viktor. Viktor didn’t take them, and the alpha frowned, but it didn’t look angry. Viktor observed his face, how it went from confusion to worry, then to some sort of acceptance. The alpha took off the towel, used it to dry the rest of Viktor’s body, and then helped him get dressed. Viktor wasn’t sure what kind of clothes he was wearing; he only knew that they were soft and light and smelled clean.

Viktor regained some of his care when they entered a dining hall and he saw the plate waiting for him. The alpha seated him at the table like he was an important guest before taking his own place.

“Eat as much as you want,” Katsuki said.

Viktor had to take a moment just to stare at all the food he was being offered. Back when he had belonged to an alpha, he had been fed well, but he wasn’t sure he had ever seen the table so filled with food even during celebrations. He glanced at the alpha who was watching him, before slowly reaching for some sweet potatoes. He noticed that his hand was shaking as he collected food on his plate, but he wasn’t sure what was causing it.

As much as he wanted to proceed with care, when Viktor took the first bite, he was gone. He ate as quickly as he possibly could without choking, his hunger seemingly growing with each bite. After emptying his plate twice, he had to tell himself to stop, or he would get sick. He was glad that he had been careful with the amount he put on his plate at once so it probably hadn’t been too much. It would be a waste to throw it all up now. He drank some water and looked over at the alpha, who had also eaten at some point. Katsuki was now looking at him with a smile on his face.

“When did you last have a proper meal?” the alpha asked.

Viktor didn’t answer, but he looked at the alpha for longer than he had before as a way of saying thank-you without having to actually say it. He then turned his gaze down to the table, wondering what would happen next. The bath and food had made him tired, and he hoped that he would be released now so he could go find an alley where he could sleep for an hour or two.

“You must be tired,” the alpha said, and Viktor turned to look at him again. “Stay here for the night. I’m sure that a bed is much more comfortable than whatever option awaits you outside.”

It was true, but Viktor didn’t want to admit it. He wanted to leave before it was too late, but his body had entered a state of drowsiness that made him unwilling to move at all. He watched how the alpha got up and offered a hand to him.

“Come on,” Katsuki said. “Let me show you the way.”

Viktor didn’t take the hand. He didn’t want to follow the alpha, but his eyelids were feeling heavy. He felt a hand take a hold of his hand, himself being pulled up to stand. He mindlessly followed the alpha who pulled him along up to an airy room. There was a big bed in the middle of the room, and it looked soft. Viktor whimpered quietly as he looked at it, and the alpha guided him there.

“Go to sleep,” Katsuki said as he sat Viktor down onto the bed.

The alpha pushed Viktor until he relented and lay down, and a blanket was pulled over him. The bed was just as soft as he had imagined, if not even softer, and his eyes were closed when the alpha’s fingers brushed over his cheek.

“Sleep well,” Katsuki said.

Viktor listened to his soft footsteps, the soft click of the door. There was no lock this time, although Viktor couldn’t be sure if the door was locked anyway; he couldn’t trust his senses anymore.

He turned to his side and curled up. The bed smelled clean, the exact scent that he hadn’t smelled in a long time, the one thing that he missed about being held captive as a domestic omega. The clothes on his body were soft, and a sob fell from his lips as he thought about all the hardship he had gone through to remain free, when in reality he could never be truly free. If he wasn’t the property of an alpha, he was considered feral and an outlaw, and having to glance behind his back every minute wasn’t freedom. He cried into the pillow until sleep took over, and dreamed of clean white beds under the clear sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was hesitant to publish this yet because I have no idea where the fic is currently going (I have almost 4 chapters written) and I wanted to keep my options open for major changes, but I guess I'll just pray that I won't need to change anything.
> 
> I have [a dedicated writing blog](http://mean-whalewrites.tumblr.com) but also sometimes talk about writing [on twitter](http://twitter.com/mean_whale), but to follow me on twitter please be over 18!


	2. Chapter 2

Yuuri felt bad for the omega, and he lay awake thinking about the muffled sobs he had heard through the door after leaving the omega to sleep. He wanted to know what had happened so he could make it better, but the omega had made it clear that he didn’t want to talk. How could Yuuri let him leave without making sure that everything was fine?

Well, in that case he wouldn’t be able to let the omega leave at all because clearly everything was not fine. The omega had run away from something – probably his alpha – and had lived on the streets. Why would he let the man leave just for him to return to his life on the run?

Yuuri slept restlessly knowing that there was an omega in distress under his roof. He kept waking up, rolling around, and at one point he even got up from bed and was halfway to his door before coming back to his senses and returning to bed. The best thing to do was to let the omega sleep alone, because alone meant safety to him.

It was no surprise that when Yuuri woke up in the morning, he was tired. He felt grumpy and didn’t want to get up at all, but then he thought about the omega. He wanted to learn more about him, wanted to know where he came from, what his name was, what he wanted to do in life. He had tried his hardest to be friendly and nonthreatening, but for some reason the omega had still treated him like an enemy. He wondered if he could somehow gain his trust and learn more. Yuuri didn’t waste time heading towards the guest room where he had left a guard at the door in case the omega tried to sneak out at night.

“Good morning,” Emil said with a wide smile when he approached.

“Good morning. I trust everything was fine?” Yuuri asked and stopped by the door.

“I didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary,” Emil said.

“You can go now,” Yuuri said to him, hardly even paying attention to anything but the door to the room where he knew the omega was sleeping.

Emil said something before leaving, but Yuuri didn’t listen. He waited for his heart to settle some before cracking the door open.

The room was bathed in light flowing in through the windows. He focused on the bed where a lump was lying still amongst the white sheets. Yuuri cleared his throat, but the lump remained still. He entered, closed the door, and approached the bed slowly. As he got closer he could see the sleeping omega properly: his hair was spread over the pillows around his head, his sleeping face peaceful, and he looked so innocent and young compared to what he had looked like just the previous day. Now that he was asleep, there was no sign of fear or stress, just the comfort of being asleep in a proper bed.

Yuuri stood by the bed for a long time, just looking at the face that was no longer covered with dirt. He wanted to learn what had happened to force the omega out on his own with nowhere to rest, and he was surprised by the strength of that feeling. He had met many feral omegas before, but none of them had awakened such need to know. There was something different about this one, and Yuuri couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. Maybe it was the way the omega was ready to defend himself, how he was reluctant to submit to anything. He had fire inside him that most omegas lacked. Maybe he hadn’t been out on the streets for long enough for his fire to extinguish.

It also reminded Yuuri of the very possibility that someone might be looking for the omega. His alpha would certainly be out there looking. Yuuri wasn’t expecting the flash of pain it caused his heart to know that he would have to look for the alpha and… And what?

The omega had a hand resting on the pillow next to his face, his arm exposed almost all the way up to his elbow, and Yuuri could see the white scar on his tanned skin. He peered closer, and saw that in places there were also small marks left by stitches, irregular and prominent, and he just knew that they hadn’t been professional stitches.

What exactly had happened to the omega?

Yuuri turned his back to the bed and left the room. His heart ached from having seen such proof of violence on the sleeping omega’s skin. Whoever was behind it had caused the omega a lot of pain, and Yuuri wouldn’t let him go before he had found out why it had happened.

Yuuri returned to the room with a pitcher of fresh water. The omega was still asleep. Yuuri placed the pitcher onto the nightstand and turned to look at the omega again. He had turned to his back in his sleep, the blanket now sliding to the floor. Yuuri took a hold of it and lifted it back to the bed. The omega’s shoulders were angry red. They must have burnt in the sun. Yuuri was surprised that he hadn’t seen that the previous day. Now that he looked closer, the omega’s face was slightly red too. He reached out a hand and pressed it against the omega’s forehead.

A fever, Yuuri thought immediately as he touched the hot skin. He would need to alert a nurse. Or a doctor. He didn’t know if a nurse would be enough.

“Hello,” he said, feeling silly for trying to wake up the omega without knowing his name. “Wake up.”

The omega stirred but only turned to his other side, turning his back to Yuuri.

“You need to wake up,” Yuuri said, and shook the omega gently.

It happened so suddenly that for a moment Yuuri thought he was imagining, but then he felt the sharp pain on his arm. He had been scratched again, and the omega was sitting upright on the bed, staring at him with wide eyes, breath coming out in short huffs.

“It’s okay,” Yuuri said. “It’s okay.”

The omega seemed to recognise him, but didn’t lower his guard.

“I brought you water,” Yuuri said and gestured towards the nightstand. “You need to drink.”

The omega turned to look at the pitcher seeming thoughtful. He then looked back at Yuuri, focusing on his arm. Yuuri looked down on it too. The scratches were worse than the ones he had received the previous day, and Yuuri should have probably expected it.

“It’s okay,” he said. “Just have a drink. You need it.”

The omega slowly moved on the bed, sitting down on the edge, eyes still glued on Yuuri. Yuuri stayed still, and finally the omega turned to look at the pitcher and poured himself a glass of water.

“How do you feel?” Yuuri asked.

The omega took a sip of water, then another. He turned to look at Yuuri, seeming suspicious, when suddenly his body seemed to lose all strength and he dropped the glass to the floor. Yuuri stepped forward and took a hold of the omega before he could slump onto the floor as well. The omega hissed faintly.

“You have a fever,” Yuuri said and pushed the omega back to the bed. “You need to rest.”

The omega looked like he wanted to fight, but didn’t say anything. He was too tired, Yuuri thought as he reached to the side table to pour a new glass of water for him. He was thankful that the previous glass hadn’t broken, and only had a crack on the side. He picked it up.

“What’s happening?” Takeshi asked from the door.

“Get the nurse,” Yuuri said without turning to look. “He’s running a fever.”

He was expecting the hesitation before Takeshi left, and rolled his eyes before sitting down next to the omega.

“I’ll help you,” he said and offered the glass to him.

The omega didn’t look happy about it, but seemed to come to the conclusion that he had no choice. He looked miserable as Yuuri held the glass for him, but he drank all the water.

“Do you want more?” Yuuri asked.

The omega nodded and slumped against the pillows when Yuuri turned to pour him more water. This time he didn’t make such a show of Yuuri helping him drink, but Yuuri was sure it was caused by the fever taking away his energy.

“Do you need something?” Yuuri asked. “Are you hungry?”

The omega shook his head and lay down properly.

“What’s your name?” Yuuri asked.

The omega looked at him with his piercing eyes, but their fire was dim. He was tired, and Yuuri was prepared to not receive an answer of any kind.

“You never told me yours either,” the omega said after all. “Why should I tell you mine?”

Yuuri blushed. He had been sure that he had done everything exactly right. Had he really overlooked such an important detail?

“I’m sorry,” he said, and winced when he heard himself stammering. “I didn’t… I thought I introduced myself when we first met.”

The omega looked like he was laughing internally, but was probably too weak to make fun of Yuuri to his face.

“I’m Katsuki Yuuri,” Yuuri said and bowed. “The son of Katsuki Toshiya.”

The omega looked at him with no more interest than he had before. Yuuri had expected it, although he found it hard to fathom.

“I’m sorry for being so rude before,” Yuuri added.

The omega smiled lazily and closed his eyes. Yuuri figured that he was going to sleep, and wondered what he should do himself. Then the omega opened his eyes again, looking very tired, but his gaze was more focused, just like it had been on the previous day.

“You can call me Viktor,” he said.

Then he closed his eyes and turned his back to Yuuri.

“Viktor,” Yuuri repeated, voice nearly a whisper.

There was a knock on the door, and it opened. Takeshi guided the nurse in, and Yuuri left the room to allow Viktor some privacy.

His heart was beating faster than before, and he kept repeating Viktor’s name in his head, over and over again like it was a new mantra to learn. He noticed that he was smiling, tried to stop it, but ended up smiling even wider as he made his way to the breakfast table.

*

The nurse said that Viktor had a heatstroke and would be fine after resting. Yuuri wondered if he should alert the doctor just in case, but decided to trust the nurse. He was, after all, a professional. Yuuri had instructed Michele to make sure that Viktor didn’t run out of fresh water, and Michele had reluctantly agreed. Yuuri noticed how the beta rubbed his bandaged arm every time Viktor was mentioned, and he had a suspicion that Michele had been scratched by Viktor too. Yuuri’s own scratches stung under the bandage when he moved his arm in certain ways and the skin moved with it, but he couldn’t blame Viktor for defending himself in such a scary situation.

Yuuri went to see Viktor before lunch. Michele was sitting on a chair by the door with a grumpy look on his face.

“How is he doing?” Yuuri asked.

Michele looked up, and practically jumped up from the chair when he realised it was Yuuri.

“He’s been sleeping,” Michele said.

“Have you made sure he drinks plenty of water?” Yuuri asked.

Michele’s eyes widened and he seemed to go through his instructions in his head.

“I’m sure he’s capable of doing it himself,” Yuuri interrupted his thoughts. “But I guess we have to wake him up every now and then to drink.”

“Yes,” Michele agreed, looking embarrassed.

“How’s Sara?” Yuuri asked.

Michele’s glum feature turned into a smile immediately.

“She’s fine,” he said.

“You should bring her around sometime,” Yuuri sad politely, yet truthfully. “We could have dinner together.”

“Ah,” Michele gasped and bit his lip. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

“You need to let her out of the house sometimes,” Yuuri said and laughed. “There are no spooky men to snatch her away from you here.”

Michele blushed.

“I’ll see about that,” he said.

“You should go home,” Yuuri said. “Tell Takeshi to come here.”

Michele nodded and left. Yuuri knocked on the door before entering.

The room was still filled with light, although the sunlight wasn’t as direct as it was in the morning. Maybe Yuuri should have thought to pull the heavier curtains to shield the room from the heat. He approached the bed slowly.

“Oh, you’re awake,” he said and then felt stupid for such an obvious statement.

Viktor was lying in bed but his eyes were wide open. He looked at Yuuri, and there was something wild in his stare.

“I want my own collar back,” Viktor said.

His voice was desperate and broken.

“You had a collar before?” Yuuri asked. “I don’t know where it is.”

“I want it back!” Viktor repeated.

He sat up so quickly that Yuuri waited for a few seconds to see if he would faint or collapse back onto the bed.

“I can get you a new collar,” Yuuri offered.

“I want my collar!” Viktor yelled and burst to tears.

He lifted his hands to the gold collar around his neck and clawed at it, and Yuuri noticed that his fingertips were bloody, there were blood smears on the metal of the collar, and Yuuri reached out to pull his hands away, but Viktor pulled back.

The omega was screaming while tears streamed down his face, and Yuuri saw no other option but to hurry to the door and leave him for now.

Yuuri looked around the hallway, and was glad to see Michele approaching.

“Michele!” he called.

The beta raised his head to look at him. Yuuri hurried towards him.

“What did you do with the omega’s old collar?” Yuuri asked, out of breath after just a few running steps.

“We threw it away,” Michele said. “It was old and tattered. And quite stinky.”

“I need you to get it back,” Yuuri said.

Michele looked like Yuuri had just asked him to walk around the world completely naked while balancing two buckets of water on his head.

“I don’t know if it’s possible,” Michele said almost desperately.

Yuuri took a hold of his shoulders, and the beta looked like he would shrivel.

“I don’t care how you do it,” Yuuri said, “but you’ll get it back.”

Michele’s eyes were wide and his mouth open. Yuuri let him go. Michele continued to stare at him before shaking his head and sighing.

“I’ll see what I can do,” he said.

“Good,” Yuuri said. “Before you go, tell Takeshi to get the nurse but tell them to wait outside until I let them in.”

Michele opened his mouth to say something, but Yuuri had turned on his heels and hurried back to the room already.

Viktor’s sobbing screams could be heard through the door, and Yuuri took a deep breath, before entering the room. The omega didn’t pay him any attention, still clawing at the collar around his neck and a drop of blood sliding down to his collarbones. Yuuri approached the bed slowly.

“Viktor,” he said.

There was no reaction. Yuuri didn’t want to use his status as an alpha to force the omega to do anything, but he didn’t know what else he could possibly do.

“Viktor,” he said again, this time with more force, and the omega stopped screaming and turned to look at him.

Yuuri took in the sight before him, paid attention to how it ached his heart. Viktor’s face was wet, his eyelashes heavy with tears, and the blue of his eyes seemed deeper. His hair was messy after having slept for so long, but at least it was clean, and the silver shone in the sunlight. Then Yuuri turned to look at his neck, the collar, and his fingers that were still pressed against the gold surface.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Yuuri said.

He hated how the omega flinched, like his voice was a physical attack. Maybe it was – Yuuri didn’t know how it felt for an omega to be verbally made to submit by an alpha.

Viktor’s lower lip was trembling.

“I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” Yuuri said with less pressure behind the words.

He didn’t accidentally want to make the omega submit to him any more than was absolutely necessary for the situation. Viktor’s hands shook and he let them fall to his lap.

“Does this collar bother you?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor nodded and looked away. Yuuri sat down on the edge of the bed, slowly and a good distance away. Michele said that this omega might be to his liking, and there was only one quality in an omega that would make the beta say that.

“I can take it off,” he said.

Viktor looked at him in horror.

“No!” the omega said.

“Why?” Yuuri asked. “If it bothers you, you don’t have to wear it. I don’t even know why Michele and Takeshi put it on you in the first place.”

Viktor turned his eyes away again.

“You can’t,” he said, but seemed reluctant to explain any further.

“I don’t understand,” Yuuri said.

He was burning with the need to know, but he didn’t want to dig for information if Viktor wanted to keep it a secret.

“You can’t smell me,” Viktor whispered.

Yuuri couldn’t be sure if he had heard correctly, and he didn’t understand what the omega meant.

“Okay,” Yuuri said anyway, to keep Viktor calmer.

They sat there in silence for a while. Yuuri looked at Viktor’s fingers, but they were red with blood and it was hard to tell where and how badly the omega had hurt himself.

“Let me look at your hands,” Yuuri said.

Viktor leaned away, but he did seem to think. Yuuri gave him time to process the situation. Eventually Viktor turned slightly more towards him and offered his hands in view.

Softly Yuuri took a hold of them and inspected the damage. Viktor had torn a nail quite low, but it didn’t look like that was the source of blood. Yuuri turned his hands and saw small cuts on two fingers. The blood had looked plentiful, but now Yuuri could tell that it was mostly thin smears over each finger, and slightly more around the fingers he had hurt. He turned his gaze to the collar, and saw that the situation was the same there: not all that much blood, but spread around to look worse than it was.

“You don’t seem badly hurt,” Yuuri said and sighed in relief. “I’ll have the nurse clean those wounds.”

“No!” Viktor said and pulled his hands away.

Yuuri blinked at him a few times, trying to figure out what was going on this time.

“You have to have them cleaned,” he said calmly.

Viktor shook his head.

“Only you,” he said quietly.

Yuuri took a moment to determine whether or not he had heard and understood correctly. The omega wasn’t looking at him again, and Yuuri thought that he probably had heard right.

“Okay,” he said. “In that case I’ll ask the nurse to bring me disinfectant and some bandages.”

Yuuri waited, and Viktor nodded shortly. The alpha smiled and got off the bed, heading to the door. Viktor remained still on the bed.

When Yuuri peeked out of the door, Takeshi and the nurse were waiting there.

“I need some disinfectant and bandages,” Yuuri said. “But he won’t let anyone else in.”

The nurse nodded and hurried away. Yuuri looked back to Viktor who seemed frozen on the bed, and stepped out of the room.

“What’s going on?” Takeshi asked quietly.

“He’s unhappy with his collar,” Yuuri said. “I think he was trying to take it off when he hurt his fingers.”

Takeshi frowned.

“Just don’t try taking that collar off,” he said. “That omega stinks.”

It was Yuuri’s turn to frown.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

Takeshi sighed and sat down on the chair by the door.

“Michele thought he would be perfect for you because he doesn’t have a distinctive scent,” Takeshi said and looked up to Yuuri. “But when we brought him here, we realised that he was wearing a collar that blocked his scent. When we took it off, we discovered that he actually has an unusually strong scent.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said and glanced at the door.

“Take my word,” Takeshi said. “You want to keep him collared.”

Yuuri bit his lip. He hadn’t expected this.

“Let’s hope Michele can find his old collar then,” he said.

Takeshi looked at him thoughtfully.

“You could just get any leather collar,” he said. “I’m sure the omega would be happy with that.”

“He was quite insistent on wanting his old collar back,” Yuuri said.

Takeshi shrugged.

“He sounds spoiled,” he said. “Maybe we should have left him. He probably escaped because he got bored with his easy life and wanted an adventure. I’m sure he’ll happily go back home once we find out where his home is.”

Yuuri didn’t say anything, but his heart squeezed uncomfortably.

“Don’t go getting attached to him,” Takeshi said. “He’s someone else’s possession.”

Yuuri smiled sadly. Of course Takeshi knew him well enough to know.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I know that.”

The nurse hurried back and gave Yuuri the items he had asked for. Yuuri turned a stiff smile at Takeshi before returning to the room.

Viktor had remained still on the bed, sitting right where Yuuri had left him, fingering the collar around his neck. He was, however, not clawing it desperately. His fingers must have hurt from cutting them.

“I’m back,” Yuuri said.

Viktor stopped his hand and looked almost guilty. Yuuri felt like he was seeing a face he wasn’t supposed to see. Maybe the fever was making Viktor more honest.

Yuuri sat down on the bed. Viktor looked at him warily but didn’t try to move away. Yuuri presented him with the lotion and bandages he had gotten, and laid them on the bed.

“Give me your hands,” he said to Viktor, who hesitated before extending them to Yuuri.

Yuuri took a hold of them and got to work, using water from the pitcher to wash away the dried blood and disinfected the wounds with the lotion. Viktor sat still and let him work quietly, eyes following everything Yuuri did, and something about it felt familiar, domestic even. Yuuri tried to hide the smile that threatened to curve his lips.

Viktor looked closely when Yuuri bandaged the wounded fingers. After he was done, Yuuri lifted the fingers to his lips and kissed the bandage, before realising what he was doing, and with a horrified expression he let the hand fall from his hold.

“I’m sorry,” he said, but Viktor didn’t respond.

Viktor was cradling his hand on his lap and sniffled. Yuuri worried that he was crying again, but didn’t want to raise Viktor’s head just to see his face. He let Viktor be, cleaned up the soiled bandages he had used to wash Viktor’s fingers, and then looked at the omega again.

“What’s wrong?” he asked when he saw Viktor’s shoulders shaking.

The omega lifted his hands to the collar again.

“It hurts,” he said quietly.

Yuuri didn’t know what to do. He had been told by the omega himself to not take the collar off, not to mention Takeshi telling him to keep it on too. He didn’t want to risk taking it off in case Viktor’s scent would really be as strong as Takeshi had said.

But looking at Viktor so uncomfortable didn’t feel right.

“I want it off,” Viktor said, voice whiny and small.

Yuuri was starting to panic. Should he simply tell the omega that it was impossible? That wouldn’t exactly help him build trust with him.

“Are you sure?” Yuuri asked.

The omega nodded and shivered.

“You said that you don’t want me to smell you,” Yuuri said.

Viktor was shaking more now. Maybe he would cry and scream again. Maybe Yuuri should send someone else in.

“Do you want me to get someone?” he asked, already trying to slip away from the bed, but Viktor’s fingers took a hold of the hem of his shirt.

“Take it off,” Viktor pleaded, and his voice was now full of panic.

“Are you sure?” Yuuri asked, hoping that the omega would suddenly change his mind.

“Off!” Viktor yelled.

Yuuri saw no option: he would have to take off the collar.

With uncertain hands Yuuri reached for the collar on Viktor’s neck. He had to pause to lift Viktor’s head up enough to reach the lock mechanism. Viktor was shivering, and now that his head was up, Yuuri could tell that he was crying.

The lock clicked, and Yuuri pulled the two halves of the collar apart. He was holding his breath, he noticed, but didn’t really want to do anything to change that. He slowly let his hands fall, and Viktor took a deep breath.

Viktor turned his teary eyes at Yuuri, who was starting to run out of lung capacity. He would have to breathe. He gasped in as much air as he could get, waiting for the scent to hit him.

And it did.

Takeshi hadn’t been joking, when he said that Viktor had a prominent scent; Yuuri felt like it was filling his lungs, every pore of his body, and the look of horror on Viktor’s face must have mirrored his own. The entire room was swirling with the scent of an omega in distress. Yuuri could smell all the different layers of fear and apprehension, the uncertainty and anxiety, and on the base of all that something that was unique to Viktor.

On top of that, however, he could smell an alpha, and that made him angry.

Yuuri was overwhelmed by his own reactions – or the lack of reaction to be precise – but he did understand the sudden need to clean the scent of an unknown alpha off Viktor.

He could tell that the alpha was someone older than him, older than Viktor. The scent was faint like it had been quite some time since the alpha had marked his property. It was an angry scent, it told Yuuri to back off, but it also told him to keep fighting. He realised that he had leaned closer to the omega to smell him. Viktor remained still, and Yuuri bitterly thought that it was fear of being marked by him.

The longer they stayed in the same room, the stronger Yuuri’s will to eliminate the smell of another alpha on Viktor got. He told himself that he should go, he should back away now, but when he moved back, Viktor’s fingers found a hold of his shirt again.

He has a fever and he’s delusional, Yuuri told himself, over and over again, but he found himself so strongly drawn to the omega that his thoughts weren’t really connecting with the part of his brain that understood things. He should have left instead of taking off the collar, he thought, when he surged forward and pushed Viktor down onto the bed.

They locked eyes: Viktor’s were wide and bright blue. Yuuri hoped that his weren’t as manic as he had sometimes heard omegas describe them. Viktor’s face was pale and his hair was framing it on the pillow, and Yuuri squeezed his shoulders slightly before lowering himself over Viktor.

When their necks connected, Yuuri felt a surge of pleasure unlike anything he had felt before. His scent gland tingled as he rubbed it against Viktor’s, the heavy smell of omega surrounding him and mingling with his own scent that was now getting stronger. It almost felt like a dream, and their skins rubbing together sent sparks down his spine. Viktor whimpered, lifted his hands to Yuuri’s back, but instead of trying to push him away, he pulled Yuuri closer. Yuuri’s scent peaked, overwhelming the omega scent that had been swallowing the air, and Viktor gasped quietly.

When Yuuri felt the urge to turn his head and sink his teeth into the skin of Viktor’s neck, he finally managed to pull himself away. Viktor’s hold of his back was strong, but he was stronger, his need to get away was stronger than anything. He backed away, stood up before stopping and looking back at the omega.

Viktor was lying on the bed, a blush on his cheeks and eyes half-lidded. His mouth had turned to a faint curve, and Yuuri swallowed. He wanted to see Viktor smile, but not like this. Not like this. He should leave, and not return before the omega’s scent was back in check.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

He was a well-educated alpha, and he would always remember to be polite, no matter the situation.

“It’s gone,” Viktor said.

His voice was quiet, and for a moment Yuuri thought it possible that he had heard wrong.

“His scent is gone,” Viktor then said.

Yuuri realised that he must have meant the stench of the other alpha on him. It was curious, how the omega wanted his own alpha’s scent gone.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri repeated, because he didn’t know what else he should say. “I’ll go, and I won’t be back before I have your collar.”

It seemed to arouse a painful memory in Viktor, and Yuuri wondered what it was about that collar that was so important. He had so many questions that he wanted to ask, but after having just scented the omega, there was no way he would learn the answer to any of them.

Viktor turned to his side and pulled on the blanket. The gold collar clanked onto the floor. Yuuri walked over to the bed to collect it.

“I suppose you don’t want this back,” he said.

Viktor didn’t answer him.

“I’ll go see if they have found your collar,” Yuuri said.

He took a step back, when Viktor sat up.

“You’re leaving,” the omega said.

Yuuri wasn’t sure what he could say. Yes? Obviously he was leaving, how else would he check on the process of finding Viktor’s collar? No, I’m not leaving, even though your scent makes me lose control and I’m afraid I’ll end up hurting you just like I have hurt every other omega I have ever been this close to?

“No one else,” Viktor said.

Yuuri felt like his head was filled with question marks. He had absolutely no idea what Viktor meant or what he should do. Should he just run and leave the omega before anything worse happens?

“Please,” Viktor said and burst to tears.

Yuuri cursed in his mind. He was not ready for this. This was not his area of expertise.

“You don’t want anyone else in this room but me?” he asked the first possible question he could think of.

Viktor nodded and sobbed, a tear fell to his lap.

“Okay,” Yuuri sad, relieved that at least one question had been answered. “I won’t let anyone else come in.”

Viktor looked up. Tears were slowly making their way down his cheeks.

“I’ll go now,” Yuuri said. “But I will be back soon.”

He turned before Viktor could react in any way and walked over to the door, where he stopped. He turned to look at the omega who was sitting on the bed and crying silently.

“Do you want me to get you another collar in case they haven’t found your own yet?” he asked.

Viktor seemed to think. His eyes weren’t overflowing with tears anymore, but there was one last drop slipping down his cheek. Then he nodded.

“I’ll make sure to get one that’s more comfortable than this,” Yuuri said and lifted the gold collar in his hand to illustrate his words.

Then he opened the door and slipped out as quickly as he could.

The moment he cracked the door open, Takeshi’s head shot up, his body quickly following behind. His eyes widened, and Yuuri knew that there was scent-evidence all over him.

“Yuuri!” Takeshi growled.

Yuuri quickly closed the door behind him.

“Please, don’t say anything,” he said.

“I told you to forget about him,” Takeshi said, voice way too loud to Yuuri’s liking.

“I know what you said,” Yuuri mumbled.

His cheeks were hot. His entire face must have been red with embarrassment.

“Why did you take the collar off?” Takeshi asked.

Yuuri kicked the floor with his sandal, looking down.

“He asked me to,” he replied. “It was really bothering him.”

Takeshi sighed.

“Don’t you think he’s just using you?” he asked.

Yuuri looked up.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

It was not a question he would have ever expected to hear. Yuuri was used to being the one being accused of using omegas.

“I’ve smelled him too, you know,” Takeshi reminded Yuuri. “I know he had the scent of an alpha on him. He probably wanted you to mask it so he can more easily stay on the run.”

Yuuri thought about it. He had been certain that Viktor was acting irrationally due to his fever, but how did he know? It was possible that Viktor wasn’t quite as subdued by the fever than he had thought, and had concocted a plan to assist him in escaping his alpha.

“I’m surprised he didn’t scream,” Takeshi said thoughtfully, possibly more to himself than to Yuuri.

“What?” Yuuri asked, his train of thoughts having been interrupted by it.

“I would have thought that he’d scream when you take him,” Takeshi said.

Yuuri’s entire face was on fire now that he realised what the alpha was talking about.

“I- I didn’t,” he stammered, fully aware of how it didn’t make him sound believable in the least. “I scented him. I didn’t touch him in any other way.”

Takeshi looked at him in disbelief.

“You didn’t try to take him?” he asked.

Yuuri shook his head, too embarrassed to discuss the issue further.

“How?” Takeshi asked.

Yuuri wished that he would stop talking about it.

“I don’t know,” he simply said. “Takeshi, I need you to go get a new collar for him.”

Takeshi turned his eyes on the halves of the gold collar that Yuuri was squeezing in his hand.

“Is that blood?” he asked.

Yuuri looked down and lifted his hand up to give the other alpha a better view of the collar.

“I told you he cut his finger,” he said.

“How?” the alpha asked and reached for the collar.

Instead of giving it to him, Yuuri lifted it up to look at it himself. It was hard to tell where the first or worst smears of blood may have been, because Viktor had been clawing on the collar all over. Yuuri fitted the two halves together, and that’s when it became obvious.

“There,” he said and pointed to a small edge on the seam. “A chip must have cracked off and he hurt his finger when trying to take this off.”

Takeshi looked at the seam and huffed.

“Stupid omega,” he mumbled. “He should have realised it’s impossible to take this kind of a collar off on your own.”

“Yes, well,” Yuuri said, trying to hide his annoyance at the alpha. “You should go see if you can find Michele. Ask him about Viktor’s collar.”

“Viktor?” Takeshi asked. “Did you name him?”

Yuuri was certain that he was still blushing, but a part of the burn on his face was now caused by fury.

“You keep your mouth shut when you talk to me!” he yelled, before realising what he had just said. “Go ask about it, and if there’s still no sign of it, you’ll go and get a new leather collar. Make sure it’s comfortable to wear.”

“How will I know,” Takeshi mumbled but already turned to go.

“I don’t care!” Yuuri said to him. “You’ll try it on if need be!”

Takeshi lifted his hand, his head bowed low as he walked away. Yuuri knew that the alpha hadn’t meant to anger him, and he wasn’t quite sure why he had gotten so angry anyway. It wasn’t typical of him to lose his temper like that.

But nothing about the situation was typical. Viktor didn’t act like a typical omega, and Yuuri didn’t typically survive smelling and omega’s scent without accidentally trying to assault them. He slumped onto the chair where Takeshi had been seated.

The situation was a mess. It would be good to get Viktor out of there. As soon as the omega’s fever had gone down, he would probably want to leave, and Yuuri would be happy to let him go and get back to his normal life where he didn’t feel so confused every time he thought about a certain omega.


	3. Chapter 3

Viktor slept restlessly with glimpses of dreams that ended before they could properly begin. He rolled around in bed, constantly too hot or too cold, hugging the pillow closer, pushing it away, never quite satisfied but too sleepy to properly wake up.

It was a dream: a dark figure was standing next to the bed, and it was telling him to do something, but Viktor couldn’t understand. He was lifted up, a glass pressed to his lips, and he drank the cool water that slowly made its way down his insides, freezing him completely. There were fingers on his neck, and he was being strangled. He tried to struggle, but his entire body was limp. And suddenly it was over and he slumped to the bed, breathing in the scent on the sweat soaked pillow and something smelled strongly of leather.

When Viktor woke up, he was startled awake by the fact that he wasn’t asleep anymore. He blinked his eyes open. There was something around his neck, but it wasn’t sharp like the collar had been. He touched it, and felt leather. He was so surprised that he thought he was still sleeping, but the dryness of his mouth sure felt real. He sat up slowly, looking around the room. He had no idea where he was, and it made panic rise to his throat.

His fingers stung, and he looked at them. The index finger and middle finger of his right hand had been bandaged neatly. A memory of pain flashed in his mind, and he thought about the hard metal collar that had disappeared. Had it been a dream also?

Thinking about the collar reminded him of where he was, but it was no better than not remembering. He tried to get up, but his legs felt weak, and he stood up while holding onto the bed for support. He was thirsty. He didn’t know how long he had been sleeping, and he needed water. He had to leave.

He managed three shaky footsteps to the end of the bed, then stopped to breathe. The door seemed so far away. He let go and took a step forward, managing half of a second step, when his legs gave out and he collapsed onto the floor with a loud thud. He lay quietly, listening to any hurrying footsteps or the door opening, but heard nothing. His heart was beating fast and it was too loud in his ears.

Now that he was down, he stopped to think. He remembered the terror of being caught, being pushed around by an alpha, and then the soothing touch of another alpha, fingers combing through his hair, and it confused him. Maybe it had been a dream? It was hard to tell. He touched the collar around his neck. It was different from before, but it wasn’t his own. Why had they given him a new collar? Maybe there was yet another alpha who had wanted him, maybe he had been passed on to a new owner.

Viktor shuddered, and tried to get up, but his limbs were heavy. He felt like his entire body had decided to make escape impossible, and he cursed under his breath as he tried again and again.

It didn’t take long for him to get so tired that even lifting a finger sounded like hard work. He didn’t know how he had managed to live on the streets for so long without getting tired like this. Maybe he had lost the fight in him now that he had been caught.

Lying on the floor made him feel exposed, but there wasn’t much he could do. Slowly, with much hard work, he curled in on himself, legs pressed close to his chest to shield him from the outside world in a childish attempt to keep himself safe. He couldn’t remember the last time he had lain like that. It must have been way over a decade ago, when he was still a little kid.

Suddenly Viktor missed his parents. He hadn’t thought about them in years. He had refused to think about them ever since they had given him away. He wasn’t sure how to feel about not fully remembering what they looked like or what they smelled like.

His sad reminiscing came to a halt when the door clacked and opened. Viktor bowed his head down, his hair shielding his face from view, heart pounding in fear of what would come next.

“Viktor!” someone shouted, but it wasn’t an angry voice, it was worried.

Viktor didn’t understand it, and it made him even more afraid of facing the person who had just walked in. He pressed his head down and smelled the leather. It made him feel sick, but it was better than looking up to the scary person in the room.

“What happened?” the same voice asked.

Viktor leaned away from the voice, but he felt the presence of someone right behind his back. Then there was a hand on his shoulder, and he wanted to attack it, he wanted to chase it away, but he was too tired to do anything but hiss quietly.

“It’s okay,” the voice said.

Viktor was starting to put a face to the voice, and remembered the deep brown eyes that had looked at him, the gentle smile on the thin lips, and for some reason Viktor’s cheeks heated up.

Then he was turned around, forced out of his protective stance, and Viktor found himself staring up to the face he had just thought about, except this time it came with a scent. The scent surrounded him, and it wasn’t frightening like he had expected – it was soothing, it made him feel that he was safe and everything was, in fact, okay. He couldn’t resist when he was lifted from the floor like he weighed nothing, and Yuuri – how did he know the alpha’s first name? – carried him back to the bed.

The bed felt heavenly after the hard floor, and Viktor’s body ached in ways that he wasn’t used to. He should have felt vulnerable, lying in bed on his back, body completely open, but for some reason he felt at ease. He blinked up to the worried face of Yuuri – no, Katsuki.

“What happened?” the alpha asked and reached out to stroke Viktor’s hair. “You shouldn’t move around too much. You’re still weak.”

 _Because of something you did, undoubtedly_ , Viktor thought, but didn’t believe himself. When he looked at Yuuri – Katsuki – he didn’t believe that the alpha would harm him.

“Why?” he asked, and his voice was hoarse.

“You’ve had a fever,” Yuuri said. “It seems to have gone down.”

It made sense. But it didn’t explain why he wasn’t trying to tear Yuuri’s throat to pieces to escape.

“Do you want something?” Yuuri asked. “Water?”

Viktor nodded before he had even properly processed the question. Yuuri got up from the bed and went over to the side table to pour him a glass of water. He returned with the glass, but had to take it back to first help Viktor sit up.

“I’m sure you’ll get your strength back once you eat,” Yuuri said as Viktor drank.

Maybe he was right. And once his strength was back, Viktor would leave. That’s what Yuuri had told him, right? That he could go?

Except a big part of him didn’t want to go.

He unconsciously lifted his fingers to the collar around his neck. Yuuri smiled.

“I’m sorry we haven’t found your own collar yet,” he said. “Michele is looking. I thought that you’d feel better with a leather collar, since the metal wasn’t working for you.”

Viktor blinked slowly a few times. He had no idea what Yuuri was talking about. It must have shown on his face, because Yuuri smiled again and took a hold of his bandaged hand.

“You cut your fingers on it,” he said. “And you said it was uncomfortable. So, I took it off.”

Viktor gasped and pulled his hand away, immediately regretting the quick movement, as it made his head spin. He tried to focus his eyes by blinking, before returning to what he had just learned.

“You shouldn’t have,” he said quietly.

He couldn’t believe that he would have requested to have his collar taken off.

“I know,” Yuuri said almost sadly. “But I couldn’t leave you with it either. You were crying, and I was worried that you’d hurt yourself more.”

The problem with their conversation was that Viktor had no idea if Yuuri was telling the truth or trying to deceive him. He had a hard time telling dreams from reality; besides he couldn’t remember much about either his dreams or what had happened.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said and reached out to take a hold of Viktor’s hand again. “I’m really sorry for what I did.”

Viktor felt his stomach drop. What had Yuuri done? What had this alpha done?

“I think I just couldn’t bear to smell another alpha on you,” Yuuri said blushing. “I’m sorry I scented you for such a selfish reason.”

It was impossible to tell if Viktor’s head was spinning because he was feeling faint of because of what Yuuri had just told him. He licked his lips and took a deep breath before releasing it slowly.

“You scented me?” he asked, fingers finding the leather of his collar again.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said earnestly.

Viktor was close to asking him again, but then stopped himself. He didn’t need any more reassurance, because suddenly his changed attitude towards Yuuri made sense.

“I want you to know that I don’t expect you to stick around just for that,” Yuuri said. “You’re still free to go if you want to.”

The alpha wasn’t looking at Viktor’s face any longer; his eyes were focused on the way he was holding Viktor’s hand. Viktor thought. He didn’t understand this alpha at all.

“Is his scent gone?” Viktor asked.

He hadn’t meant to say it out loud, and Yuuri flinched at the question.

“I assume it is,” the alpha responded quietly. “I’m really sorry.”

Viktor’s heart was beating faster now. He needed to find out if it was true, but he was afraid that if he smelled his own scent, the stench of his old alpha – no, the stench of an alpha from his past – would still be lingering underneath it all. Was the possible disappointment worth finding out? He wasn’t sure. He had gone for years only smelling that man on a few occasions, and he would be devastated if he had to smell him now.

Before reaching a proper conclusion, Viktor pulled his hand from Yuuri’s grasp and reached for the buckle of his collar.

“Don’t,” Yuuri said and reached forward to stop him, but Viktor was used to leather collars, and his fingers worked fast.

His heart felt like bursting when he pulled the collar off, and his scent filled the air. He hadn’t smelled it in such a long time that it smelled foreign, except he could recognise it immediately. It brought back memories, both good and bad, and his eyes teared up.

Viktor took in a deep breath, let his lungs fill with his scent, and he could now smell the new scent that had mingled with it. Yuuri’s mark was strong, but not overpowering, and it made Viktor’s heart skip a beat. He had never smelled an alpha’s scent on an omega like that. Alphas’ scents were always prominent, suffocating the omega’s unique scent to claim them as their own. Maybe this was a dream too, and that’s why Yuuri’s scent was so friendly on him.

Viktor looked at Yuuri, who had clasped his hands over his nose and mouth, and wondered if the alpha was also afraid of smelling a strange alpha on Viktor.

And now that Viktor thought about it, he realised that the alpha’s stink was gone.

“It’s gone,” he said out loud, eyes wide in realisation.

Yuuri looked like he would suffocate soon, pressing his hands over his face even harder. Viktor took in a deep breath and smelled himself.

“It’s completely gone,” he said.

Apparently, guilt was enough to make Yuuri unclasp his hands.

“I’m really sorry,” the alpha said.

Viktor opened his mouth to speak, when the alpha gasped and backed away. It was weird. Viktor didn’t understand it. Was his scent so foul that the alpha wanted to keep a distance? He found his body trying to follow the alpha, but Yuuri looked horrified.

“Don’t!” the alpha yelled before he fell onto the floor.

Viktor stared at him. He didn’t know how to take the situation, so he simply sat still and watched the events unfold. Yuuri was gasping for breath, maybe due to hurting himself or because he had run out of air, but either way Viktor saw the look on his face change from horrified to loving. It confused him even more.

“Viktor,” the alpha said, and Viktor wondered when the alpha had found out his name.

Before he had even finished the thought, the alpha had climbed back in bed, and was straddling Viktor, holding both his hands, faces so close that their noses brushed together. Yuuri’s eyes were staring at Viktor so intently that he omega felt exposed in a completely new way.

“Viktor,” the alpha said again. “I don’t want to have sex with you.”

The situation was getting so surreal, that Viktor must have been asleep, having a nightmare of being awake and not understanding what was happening around him. Then Yuuri laughed, and he looked genuinely happy.

“I don’t want to have sex with you,” the alpha repeated before he pressed his face to the crook of Viktor’s neck.

Viktor’s eyes widened, and he tried to pull away, but there was nowhere to go. He felt Yuuri’s nose against his skin, felt how he breathed in deep, the air around them getting tangled with both their scents. Yuuri let go of his hands only to wrap them around his body as well as he could, making sure that their bodies were pressed closely together. It was hot and Viktor wanted to take a bath, but he also felt good having his scent glands exposed and someone breathing in his scent.

“Viktor, you don’t have to be afraid here,” Yuuri mumbled against the omega’s neck. “No one will touch you, because they will think you’re mine, but we know that… that you’re…”

The alpha’s voice trailed away, and Viktor knew how much he had wanted to say that it was true, Viktor was now his. That’s how it worked, and it couldn’t be changed. Yuuri had claimed Viktor by scent marking him, and now Viktor was his.

It made Viktor’s heart ache to think that finally he was free from the abuse of his past just to be tied down to another alpha. He was now connected to this alpha he didn’t know, who had the power to tell others what to do and who had taken advantage of his weakened state to scent him. Viktor only noticed his tears when he felt a burning drop slide down his cheek.

*

The fever was going down, and Viktor didn’t experience any more confusion over what was real and what wasn’t. He was still feeling weak and stayed in bed, but he wasn’t asleep the entire time either. He found himself staring at the ceiling and the walls a lot, head humming with thoughts that he wanted to push away.

He thought about Yuuri whose scent was on him. The alpha hadn’t made much sense to him until he had asked if Viktor wanted food. Food always made sense. But nothing else the alpha said seemed to read correctly, and Viktor wondered if it was just his brain being still groggy from the fever of if the alpha was a bit soft in the head or if… if there was something that Viktor didn’t know about. It was the most likely scenario, but Viktor didn’t like thinking that there were big things at play that he couldn’t see, and therefore could not prepare for all possible outcomes.

Thinking about the alpha made him remember the other alpha, the one whose name he had pushed deep into the corners of his memory yet it would appear out of nowhere when he was least expecting it. He had lost count of how many days, moths, years it had been since he had run, yet that man was still there, at the edge of his consciousness just waiting to sink his claws in. Viktor found himself running his fingers along the long scar on his arm. He shuddered, and buried the arm under the blanket, even though it was hot. He hated the fact that he would always carry the reminder on his skin.

Nobody knew what had happened, and he didn’t plan on telling anyone. He had received too many pitiful glances from other omegas, from people he didn’t know, from random passers-by, who didn’t even know his name. He had decided to leave that life behind, had decided to forget and start fresh, but he could never do that because every day he would wake up with the same scar on his arm.

Viktor whined without even realising it, his voice pitiful in his ears, and he shuddered. He had thought that getting rid of _his_ scent would release him, but the truth was that for as long as he carried such a mark on his skin, he wasn’t truly free. Not to mention he had been claimed by a new alpha.

Yuuri pretended that nothing had happened, Viktor noticed, but it didn’t change the fact that when Viktor smelled his faint scent in the room his heart craved for the alpha’s touch. He wouldn’t be able to leave because the alpha was also attached to him now. Yuuri wouldn’t let him go, no matter what he said.

With these sombre thought Viktor fell asleep only to be soon woken up by a timid knock on the door. He raised his head when the door opened and the beta, Michele, walked in.

“Katsuki-sama sent me in to give you this,” the beta said and carefully approached the bed.

He was holding Viktor’s old collar at an arm’s length.

Viktor shot up from the bed and hurried to yank the collar off the beta’s hand. Michele stepped back and nearly lost his balance. There was still a bandage on his arm, but Viktor was only focused on the collar he was now holding in his hands.

It was strange, actually, to hold it like that, because he had hardly ever taken it off after he had put it on when he left. He hadn’t even wanted to take it off since then, would have gladly let it stay on until he died, but instead it had been taken from him, just like his life in freedom.

Now that Viktor looked at the collar, he was surprised to see how worn out it looked; the leather had cracked and peeled in places, and the buckle had turned dark. But it felt just as soft as he had remembered, just as comforting and right. Viktor lifted it up to his nose. It smelled like him, it was his only possession, and he was never going to let it go again.

He looked up and saw that Michele had left the room. He returned to the bed, and started working on taking off the new collar. The buckle was stiff and his injured fingers ached. He pulled the collar off, it dropped onto the bed. His scent was different. He realised that he wasn’t afraid, and it irritated him. He should have been in a panic, being held against his will. But the calming effect of an alpha’s scent had chased it away. He looked at the shiny new collar that had dropped next to his old collar. The difference was striking. Viktor lifted the old collar to his neck. It smelled sharp. It was soft, but now Viktor noticed how it had stretched out of shape, how it didn’t immediately make him feel right.

He rubbed the worn-out leather against his scent gland in the hopes of making it seem more appealing to put on, but in the end, he let it fall onto the bed, the old buckle clinking softly, before he lifted the new collar to his neck and worked it closed. He lay down, the old collar in his hand, and wondered if maybe this was a sign.

“That’s stupid,” he said to the ceiling.

It wasn’t a sign. It was only natural that he would prefer the collar that had the scent of his new alpha on him. That was a gift from said alpha. His old collar carried the ghosts of his past that he should have let go a long time ago, but it had also been his only comfort. Now his comfort was the smell of an alpha on him, even if he couldn’t smell him so clearly when he had the collar on.

*

Yuuri didn’t come to see him for two days. Viktor found it annoying how his heart felt like it was breaking. He had known it would happen, but that didn’t change the inconvenience of it. Maybe it was for the best however: this way Viktor knew that he could leave, he could survive without the alpha. He might have to escape, but he could do it.

The knock on the door made Viktor’s heart race in the hopes that it was Yuuri, but when the door opened, his entire form sank when he saw it was only Michele.

“Katsuki-sama sent me to-,” the beta started but Viktor interrupted him angrily.

“I know you don’t come here on your own will, you don’t have to tell me every time.”

Michele looked taken aback, and Viktor shared a private smirk with himself.

“Well, he sent me in to ask if you’re feeling strong enough to go,” the beta said with a hint of uncertainty.

It was Viktor’s turn to be shocked into silence.

“What?” he asked.

“Do you feel like you can go now?” Michele asked.

It must have been what he meant too, but Viktor had a hard time believing it. He had been sure that Yuuri would have him stay and he would have to run away, yet it seemed that he had been wrong.

“Why doesn’t he come and see for himself,” Viktor spat and buried himself under the blanket.

His heart was racing. He heard the beta breathe in deeply.

“He’s busy,” Michele said. “If you want to go, I’ll escort you out.”

Viktor thought, or tried to. He felt like his thoughts had frozen solid, and he stayed quiet for a long time, listening to the beta shuffling restlessly.

“I’ve overstayed my welcome, huh,” Viktor mumbled into the pillow.

His eyes were burning, but he blinked a few times and forced the tears away. This was just fine. He was perfectly willing to leave. If Yuuri was too busy to see him out himself then that was even better than fine. This way he wouldn’t have to smell the alpha and get inconveniently sad.

“I’m fine,” Viktor said and dug out from the bed. “Let’s go.”

The beta looked surprised, but said nothing before turning around and heading to the door. Viktor followed him, his bare feet slapping against the floor. The sounds echoed in his ears, and he squeezed his old collar tightly in his hand. He followed the beta towards the bathroom where he had been allowed to bathe every day, and he longingly thought about the comfort of a nice cooling bath.

They stopped at a room that Viktor somehow recognised as the same room where Yuuri and he had stopped to get him clothes on the day he had arrived. Now Michele was handing him a change of clothes, and Viktor was almost reluctant to change out of the ones that had been given to him by Yuuri. He changed quickly, not looking at the beta who had his arms crossed and was tapping his finger on his elbow. Without a word, they continued after Viktor had the new clothes on and the old ones were a messy pile on the floor.

They arrived to a door, and Michele stopped.

“These sandals are for you,” he said and pointed at a pair of beautiful new sandals by the door.

Viktor stared at the sandals before looking at the beta, but Michele looked completely serious.

“They’re for me?” Viktor had to ask.

The beta nodded impatiently, and Viktor stepped forward to slip the sandals on. They fit him perfectly, and he wondered if someone had come in and measured his feet while he was asleep. It sounded creepy, and he hoped that it was just a happy coincidence that these sandals fit him so well.

Michele opened the door, and Viktor was greeted by sunlight.

“Off you go then,” the beta said, but not as unfriendly as he could have been.

Viktor took a hesitant step forward. He squinted at the sunny outdoors, so accustomed to being in a room where the light had been filtered by curtains. He could already feel how hot it was, and wondered if he could stay until night if he asked.

Instead of asking, however, Viktor stepped outside, and the door was closed behind him.

*

It should not have been surprising, but Viktor still found himself at a loss when he realised what an expensive area he had been taken to. It took him a while to find his way out and recognise places that he had sometimes visited but didn’t frequent due to his obvious state of being a runaway omega. Now he found himself being able to walk around with no one trying to stop him or paying him much attention to begin with. He was clean and collared – a sign of belonging to a high-ranking alpha who often preferred to keep their omegas’ scents hidden. In fact, Viktor found that he stood out much more as he approached his familiar area at the edge of town where the people of high standing never ventured.

Viktor made sure to stay out of sight, creeping around the alleys in search for clothing that would hide his cleanliness, although it was only a matter of days before he would revert to looking like he belonged to those dirty streets. He found an old burlap sack and used his sharp nails to rip open a seam to wear it as a cloak. He felt more at ease wrapped in the dirty fabric, because that was who he was used to being.

What Viktor hadn’t realised was that he had unconsciously been looking for someone. The realisation hit him the moment he felt hands take a hold of his head from behind, and an angry voice hissed:

“I’ll snap your neck if you move.”

Viktor felt a smile spread onto his lips and he turned around without minding the hands that moved from his face to his shoulders in an attempt to push him away.

“Yuratchka!” Viktor exclaimed happily and pulled the smaller omega into a hug. “I thought I’d never see you again!”

“Let go of me, you creep!” Yuri spat angrily and struggled in Viktor’s hold. “And don’t call me that!”

“Yuratchka, my Yura,” Viktor mumbled happily against the omega’s messy blond hair.

“That’s enough, old man,” Yuri said but stopped struggling and let Viktor hug him for a while before slipping out of his hold. “I thought you died.”

Viktor made a fake sniff and pressed a hand dramatically against his chest.

“How cruel,” he complained with a twinkle in his eye.

“You know that’s how it goes,” Yuri said but the look in his eyes revealed just how worried he had been. “Looks like I was wrong.”

Viktor smiled before he saw the spite in Yuri’s eyes as the omega looked at his new collar.

“You got rid of Yakov’s collar then?” Yuri asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but his words were laced with hurt.

“No, I still have it here!” Viktor immediately pulled the old collar out of the folds of his new clothes. “Help me put it on my wrist.”

“What?” Yuri spat but reached out to help Viktor wrap the collar around his arm and buckle it. “You’ve abandoned your family but not completely? Whose collar are you wearing, Viktor?"

Viktor shuddered at the harsh words.

“It’s my own collar,” he said, knowing full well that his words were laced with such emotion it was impossible to not realise that he had been taken in by an alpha.

“No, _this_ is your only own collar!” Yuri said and angrily yanked at Viktor’s arm. “Yakov gave it to you for you to own yourself instead of some stupid alpha.”

“You don’t understand,” Viktor said almost sadly, but he couldn’t escape the fact that Yuri was bringing up all the same thoughts that he had tried to bury away.

“Then tell me what I’m not understanding here, Mister Fancy Pants?” Yuri asked and crossed his arms. “You come back all groomed and posh and expect me to believe that you’re still free?”

Viktor felt his lower lip trembling, and he bit it.

“He didn’t even want me,” he said as quickly as he could. “I was… I was just a charity case.”

“Oh, I see,” Yuri said and cocked his head, a mean smile on his face that Viktor knew was only there to mask his true feelings. “You got your heart broken. Well, don’t expect me to heal it for you.”

Viktor shook his head.

“I didn’t get my heart broken,” he said, although his heart felt like it had been cracked. “He just let me go.”

Yuri looked at him for a long time without saying anything. Then he shrugged.

“Whatever,” he said. “We need to go before someone finds us.”

“You’ll let me tag along?” Viktor asked in disbelief. “Even though I made you worry?”

Yuri turned his back to Viktor.

“I told you, we’re family,” he mumbled angrily, and Viktor smiled at his slender back.

“I’ll help you with your hair,” he said and stepped forward when Yuri started walking.

“I don’t need help,” Yuri said, but then turned to look at Viktor with a wide smile.

They spent the day hiding in alleys and Viktor did his best to comb through the tangles in Yuri’s hair. The boy kept pouting but leaned in to Viktor’s touch, and when he wasn’t prepared for it, Viktor kissed his head.

“I missed you,” Viktor said.

Yuri hmphed angrily, but Viktor saw how his ears got red. He continued with the omega’s hair, and when it got dark they sneaked to the river where they could get washed.

“Yakov came to visit the other day,” Yuri said.

Viktor shivered, and he wasn’t sure if it was due to his emotions or the cold water dripping down his neck.

“How is he?” Viktor asked.

“Fine,” Yuri said. “He was worried about you.”

Viktor hummed in thought. He was sad for missing Yakov’s visit, but what could he do, he had been sick.

“I should go see him,” Viktor said to himself.

“No,” Yuri immediately replied and took a hold of Viktor’s arms, shaking him. “You will never go back there, not even for him.”

Viktor saw the pain in Yuri’s eyes and knew that he was right, but he missed Yakov. He hadn’t seen the man in almost a year. He knew it was for his own safety, but it didn’t make the situation any less sad.

“Stop thinking so much,” Yuri said and splashed water on Viktor’s face. “You can never go back! Master- That man will recognise you immediately if he sees you!”

Viktor pouted but knew that Yuri was right. It would be too risky. He looked at his arm in thought.

“Will you ever be able to forget?” Yuri asked sadly.

Viktor looked at him in surprise. Yuri never let his true emotions out so frankly, and it was unnerving to see him stand there with his wet hair dripping over his shoulders, moonlight making his eyes seem darker than they were.

“I should have killed him,” Yuri said.

Viktor laughed.

“You were just a little kid,” he said. “I’ll be fine.”

There was a drop sliding down Yuri’s cheek, but Viktor was almost certain it was water from his hair. Either way he wiped it away with a gentle finger.

“I’m glad we got out before he could hurt you,” Viktor said.

Yuri’s hands were fists by his sides. He looked intently to the ground. Then he looked up with fire in his eyes.

“So, who’s the alpha who thought you’re the right charity case?” he asked.

Viktor smirked widely.

“I thought you’d never ask!” he said.

*

Viktor had spent the morning walking around the nicer area of the town to steal some clean clothes for Yuri. He had made sure to make the other omega look just as well-kept as he still looked, although they both had dark bags under their eyes after a poorly slept night. He pulled Yuri’s hair up to make it appear less greasy and sad, and after hiding his burlap cape and Yuri’s old tattered clothes in an alley, they made their way towards where Viktor thought Katsuki lived. He wasn’t sure, because he hadn’t been in the area more than once, but it had only been one day. Surely he could remember where Yuuri’s house was.

They kept to the shadows to avoid raising suspicions, but no one seemed to mind them when they walked past. Yuri was curious enough to stay on his best behaviour and not scowl at every alpha or domestic omega they passed by. Viktor found it hilarious, but kept his mouth shut to not turn the other omega sour again.

They walked around almost aimlessly, and Viktor was starting to worry that he had forgotten how to get to Katsuki’s house. Yuri was getting annoyed, yapping at Viktor for making it all up, but Viktor knew it was simply exhaustion. He wondered if they should try to find a back alley to rest in, when he suddenly realised that they were standing very close to a familiar doorway.

“This is it,” he said and stopped dead on his tracks.

Yuri bumped into him and swore loudly. Viktor thanked heavens that there was no one to hear it. They walked on, rounded the house that was surrounded by a big garden, until they arrived to what could only be described as a pompous gate.

“You’re fucking with me,” Yuri said as he looked at the house and then at Viktor. “You just picked a house at random, didn’t you?”

Viktor could hardly believe it himself. He had spent most of his time in the house in just one room, in what now appeared to be just one tiny wing of the entire building, and he hadn’t realised that such a room was attached to this giant house.

“You were not taken in by a Katsuki,” Yuri stated.

“Wait!” Viktor immediately reacted to hearing the familiar name. “How do you know his name?”

“Are you a moron?” Yuri asked. “Everyone knows the Katsuki family! They’re only close friends with the king, next to royalty themselves!”

Viktor’s mouth dropped open, and he could only stare at Yuri, who was frowning at him.

“You seriously didn’t know?” Yuri asked.

Viktor could only shake his head. The younger omega sighed.

“What the fuck, Viktor,” he said and took a hold of Viktor’s hand, starting to pull him away. “We can’t just stand here. It will look suspicious.”

Viktor followed Yuri who pulled him away from the house. He was wondering if he had imagined the entire thing after all. Maybe the fever had caused him to pass out and he had dreamed the abduction and Yuuri and everything.

“I guess your stupid clothes make sense now,” Yuri mumbled as they walked away. “And your expensive new collar. And the smell of different fancy soaps on you.”

Viktor looked at the back of his friend’s head.

“I guess I now understand why they rescue stray omegas,” he said.

Yuri turned to glare at him.

“That’s what they told you?” he asked. “That they rescue us?”

“I know, I know,” Viktor assured him. “It’s a shitty way of looking at us. I know it already.”

Yuri sniffed and turned to face the front again.

“Maybe you should go back and take advantage of it,” he said then. “You know, let them rescue you all they want but still live your own life.”

“How would that work exactly,” Viktor laughed. “I thought you hated all the alphas.”

Yuri hissed in response. Viktor thought about the time when they had escaped. Yuri had gotten in trouble for hissing back at _that man_ , even though his hiss was still without a threat, it was almost like a kitten’s first attempt at being fierce. Viktor had immediately known that it would lead to a punishment that would leave a physical mark (and the wound on his arm had ached especially badly that day), and when _that man_ had looked away, he had taken a hold of Yuri’s hand and they had run.

Yakov hadn’t been expecting them that day, because their plan wasn’t supposed to go into action until a week later, but they couldn’t wait. Yakov understood it, he always understood, and he left the house. Viktor had cradled small Yuri in his arms when he cried, both fearing for their lives as time went on and Yakov didn’t return. When the door finally creaked open, Viktor thought he was ready to die of a heart attack, but it was only Yakov with two collars.

“You can never take these off,” Yakov told them as he buckled them tightly around their necks and made sure their scent glands were covered. “No one can ever smell his scent on you or they’ll know you’ve ran away.”

Viktor nodded. Yuri held his hand in a tight grip, and Yakov took them out through the back. They both wore heavy cloaks to hide their well-groomed appearances, and they travelled on Yakov’s horse cart. Yuri slept against Viktor, but Viktor kept his eyes open out of sheer stubbornness. He would have to stay awake to protect Yuri.

When Yakov dropped them off, Yuri was sleepy. Yakov continued to one direction, and Viktor and Yuri went to the other. Yuri was hanging his head low, eyelids heavy with sleep, and once or twice Viktor caught him taking his thumb in his mouth. It worried him to see this childish behaviour returning to the young omega who had barely even represented. Yuri was an early bloomer, but he shouldn’t feel the need to suck his thumb at the age of 11.

They had walked until both their feet were sore, and they stopped to sleep in a forest under a big tree. Viktor couldn’t sleep properly, jumping awake every few minutes, but Yuri was fast asleep, curled up to his side. Viktor had vowed to keep him safe, and that conviction had cost him so many sleepless nights that he was getting delusional when they finally arrived to a town.

There was a chunk of memories missing from Viktor’s head, and he didn’t know how they had gotten from that town onto the next. He remembered small things like Yuri’s hair getting knotty and greasy and his shoes breaking apart after all the walking they had done, but he didn’t remember anything about himself. His memories started returning only after they decided to leave that town as well and travelled to the next one they could find, hoping that they hadn’t done some horrible mistake and turned back towards their hometown.

“You shouldn’t be so stuck in the past,” Yuri said, bringing Viktor back to present.

“I’m not,” Viktor said, although he knew that Yuri knew what he had been thinking about.

When he thought about their past, he always brushed his fingers along the scar on his arm. It was an annoying habit that he had tried to get rid of, but back then the scar had still been a scabby wound with stitches that were too tight or too loose and Viktor had been afraid that he would end up getting really badly sick because of it and dying. He had known that touching the healing wound wasn’t a good idea, but the fear of not being able to protect Yuri who had barely even turned 12 a few days after they left was driving him to the brink of insanity.

“You’re a liar,” Yuri said, but his voice wasn’t angry.

Viktor smiled.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Yuri stopped and turned around to look at him, so close that their chests were pressed together.

“Don’t you dare apologise,” the smaller omega said, grinding his teeth. “Don’t you dare apologise for sacrificing yourself on my behalf.”

Viktor felt like crying. He wasn’t sure why he had assumed that Yuri couldn’t see how hard he had worked to keep them both safe, but mostly Yuri. He had never asked for recognition, but the relief of knowing that Yuri knew and appreciated his effort was almost identical to what he had felt when Yakov had found them after nearly two years of them having left.

He was distantly aware of a familiar scent coming from close by, but too stunned by Yuri’s honesty to react before Yuri did. The omega jumped around him to his back and hissed angrily when Viktor slowly turned around.

“Viktor?” a familiar voice said.


	4. Chapter 4

From the start, it was obvious that Viktor wouldn’t be happy staying in the Katsuki household. Yuuri had known it ever since he had seen how fiercely Viktor fought the opportunities given to him. He had known that, yet he still had selfishly given in on the omega’s demands of having his collar removed, knowing full well that he could not control himself in the presence of omegas. While his reaction to Viktor’s scent had been far tamer from what he usually experienced, he had still gone and scented the omega without his consent, and it was now killing him.

Viktor’s scent was on him. He went to take a bath and scrubbed his body clean, focusing on his scent glands so much that they turned raw. It wasn’t enough, Viktor’s scent remained, and he had to wear a bandage around his neck to protect his glands from being chafed on by his clothes. He didn’t go see Viktor again, because he had to make sure the omega knew that he wasn’t going to restraint him. Viktor wanted to go, and he would allow it.

Yuuri ordered Michele, Takeshi and Emil to make sure Viktor was safe, got food and water when he needed, and a bath every night. He didn’t want to get any updates on the omega unless his condition turned for worse, and he didn’t want to know when Viktor was well enough to leave the house.

Even so, Yuuri had known exactly when Viktor left, because his scent went with him. While it still lingered in Yuuri’s memory, it was already fading, and by the next day it would be completely gone. By the next week Yuuri wouldn’t remember it as a burn in his heart, and it would be fine.

“You seem sad,” Phichit said, and Yuuri flinched.

“It’s nothing,” he lied, knowing that Phichit could see past his lie.

“Your scent changed,” Phichit stated.

Yuuri looked at him in horror. He hadn’t realised that his scent would change when he scented Viktor, but of course it would. It wasn’t quite as distinct on alphas, but enough for the people close to him to notice. Yuuri looked away, cheeks heating up under Phichit’s scrutiny.

“So,” the prince said slowly when Yuuri stayed quiet. “When were you going to tell me?”

Yuuri bit his lip. He wanted to keep up with the lie, even though he had been found out. He didn’t want to let anyone know how sad he was, how pathetic he was to fall in love with an omega who didn’t want to be domesticated.

“There’s nothing to tell,” he said.

Phichit squinted at him with a smile on his face.

“Come on, Yuuri,” he whined. “I tell you everything!”

Yuuri rubbed his hands together between his thighs. He knew it was only fair for him to tell Phichit about Viktor, because Phichit was always open about his adventures with omegas or the occasional betas behind his parents’ backs, but it hurt too much. He was such a fool to have lost his heart at the first omega whose scent didn’t make him try to sexually assault them.

Phichit fiddled with Yuuri’s hair as Yuuri squirmed on his seat. They were in the royal gardens, surrounded by the rose bushes that Phichit loved. In fact, Phichit had once told Yuuri that he had taken an omega to the same spot where he and Yuuri always met for their secret conversations. Phichit had been fond of that omega, but a courtship was close to impossible because of the omega’s low status. Yuuri wondered if Phichit had felt then what he felt for Viktor now.

“I met someone,” Yuuri said. “But he’s gone now.”

Phichit perked up but continued to stroke Yuuri’s hair.

“What do you mean he’s gone?” the prince asked. “Is that why you tried to scrub your scent glands off? Tell me everything!”

Yuuri sighed. He started talking with a monotonous voice, telling Phichit about how Michele and Takeshi had brought Viktor in and how feral Viktor was. He lifted his arm to show the marks that Viktor’s nails had left on his skin, and Phichit’s eyes were huge, the smile on his lips excited. Yuuri told him how Viktor had gotten ill and the incident with the collar.

“Phichit,” he said, looking at his friend with wide eyes. “For the first time ever I could be in the same room with an unclaimed omega and not try to jump him.”

Phichit giggled at Yuuri’s choice of words.

“You didn’t try to fuck him?” he asked to confirm what Yuuri had just said.

Yuuri knew there was a blush on his face when he nodded.

“I didn’t want to take him like that,” he said quietly.

“That’s amazing!” Phichit exclaimed.

He was so excited that he jumped up from the bench where he had been seated and walked around before sitting back down.

“But I did scent him,” Yuuri said sadly.

“Pff, that’s nothing,” Phichit said and waved his hand in dismissal.

“I shouldn’t have, Phichit,” Yuuri said solemnly. “He was already carrying someone else’s scent. He was wearing someone else’s collar! He’s someone else’s omega.”

“You said he was feral,” Phichit pointed out.

Yuuri shook his head.

“Well, obviously he’s run away,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that I can just claim him.”

“How long do you think he’s been living on the streets?” Phichit asked.

Yuuri shrugged.

“He never told me anything about himself,” he said.

“If he had regressed from domestic to feral,” Phichit said and let his voice trail off, the air heavy with meaning.

Yuuri shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “He doesn’t want to be tamed.”

Yuuri told Phichit about how he let Viktor leave. The prince remained quiet for so long that Yuuri turned to look at him. He was taken aback by the look of dissatisfaction on Phichit’s face.

“You left him?” Phichit asked. “You didn’t even bother to ask him how he felt about being scented? What’s wrong with you, Yuuri?”

Yuuri looked away in shame. He knew that he hadn’t handled the situation ideally.

“I didn’t want him to think that I was trying to hold him back,” he tried to explain, but it sounded stupid.

“You should have asked,” Phichit said again. “He took a collar from you, right?”

“It was only temporary,” Yuuri said. “Just until he got his old collar back.”

“But you don’t know if he changed collars, do you?” Phichit asked.

Yuuri felt even stupider than he had felt before.

To cheer him up, Phichit suggested they take a walk around town. Yuuri wasn’t usually too keen on leaving his family’s property or the castle grounds because everyone knew who he was, and that was too much attention. Right now, however, it felt like the perfect thing to keep his thoughts from always returning to Viktor.

“If you knew where he lived, would you go look for him?” Phichit asked as they walked along a street, a group of guards following them close by.

“I don’t know,” Yuuri sighed. “If he doesn’t want to be claimed by anyone then wouldn’t it just make him feel bad?”

Phichit laughed and pat his back.

“You’re too thoughtful for your own good,” he said happily.

Yuuri managed a smile. Phichit took him to his favourite restaurant for some pie, and Yuuri was starting to relax again. There was no point wallowing in his sorrow if he wasn’t ready to look for a solution, so he should just let go of Viktor’s memory. Maybe one day he would meet another omega who didn’t turn him into an uncontrollable mess, although the odds for that happening were probably very low.

When they left, the air had cooled down a bit. Yuuri was starting to smile as they headed back to the castle. Then he stopped so quickly that one of the guards nearly bumped into his back.

“What?” Phichit asked and looked at Yuuri while trying to scan their surroundings.

“That’s him!” Yuuri said and pointed to a couple of omegas.

The shorter omega had gold hair that glowed in the sun. His clothes seemed ill-fitting and his feet were bare. He had a collar around his neck, and he was dragging behind him Viktor, whose head was hanging low. Then they stopped, and Yuuri thought that they had spotted him, but instead the smaller omega turned to Viktor and said something to him angrily. Viktor looked sad, and Yuuri wondered if they were enemies or if the smaller omega was just a worried friend.

Before he could properly think about the right thing to do, Yuuri was walking over to the two omegas. The smaller one spotted him first, and stepped between him and Viktor, hissing angrily and reminding Yuuri so much of Viktor that he almost laughed.

“Viktor?” he said, slightly hesitant.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe this wasn’t really Viktor. This was a mistake, probably, and he should return home and laugh at his own stupidity. Except then the man turned around, and Yuuri would have recognised his face anywhere.

He took a step forward. The smaller omega jumped towards him, but was stopped by Viktor taking a hold of his shoulder.

“Yura, don’t!” Viktor said, eyes locked on Yuuri.

The smaller omega glanced at him angrily, but restrained himself from attacking the alpha. Viktor turned to look at him, and once he was certain that the danger was over, he let go of the other omega’s shoulder and looked at Yuuri again.

Secretly Yuuri had dreamed of this happening, but now that he was there, now that he had an opportunity to tell Viktor what he had kept a secret, he didn’t know what to say. He swayed on his spot, looking at Viktor from head to toe. The omega was still clean, but looked tired. He was wearing Yuuri’s collar on his neck, and his old collar around his wrist. Yuuri’s eyes stopped to the long scar on his arm again, and it stung his heart. He wished that he could take the scar away like he had taken the scent of another alpha away.

He noticed the lump in his throat when his vision blurred, and he wanted so badly to take the few steps forward and pull Viktor into a hug and never let go again. He opened his mouth to say something, but Viktor beat him to it.

“Yuuri!” the omega cried out and ran towards him.

Yuuri heard Phichit say something to the guards when Viktor crashed into him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Yuuri was very glad to return the hug, pressing his face against the omega’s shoulder.

“Why did you leave me, Yuuri?” Viktor sobbed right into Yuuri’s ear, and Yuuri’s heart broke at the words.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

He rubbed Viktor’s back in what he hoped was a soothing manner. Viktor smelled like the sun, and Yuuri wondered if Viktor had a shelter at all. He and Phichit had both assumed that he had somewhere to call home, but was it a building or simply the streets of their town? Yuuri should have focused on what was good for Viktor instead of his selfish desires, he should have asked and made sure that Viktor had somewhere to go.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, and pulled Viktor tightly against himself.

Viktor was sobbing quietly, his hair framing both their heads as they stood there. Then Yuuri suddenly remembered that they were out in public and he was being watched by Phichit and his guards as well as the small angry omega. He gently pulled away from Viktor’s embrace, but took a hold of his hands instead.

“Viktor,” he said, looking straight into the omega’s bright eyes. “We should probably talk.”

Viktor nodded and sniffled, before glancing back at his friend.

“I won’t leave Yura,” he said.

“What are you saying about me?” the other omega immediately yelled and stepped forward.

“This is Yura- Yuri,” Viktor said.

“Don’t you introduce me to strangers,” Yuri said angrily, frowning at Viktor before turning his glance at Yuuri.

Yuuri had never felt quite so exposed in his life as he did now that the omega glared at him.

“Yuuri isn’t a stranger,” Viktor said softly and smiled.

Yuri looked at both of them with a scandalised face.

“You mean he has the same name as me?” he asked. “This is ridiculous!”

Yuri made a face like Yuuri smelled bad, and the alpha took a step back to avoid any confrontation.

“Don’t be mean,” Viktor said, but the wide smile on his face took away from his credibility.

“I suggest,” Phichit said and stepped forward, “that you both accompany us back to the castle.”

Yuri looked like he had swallowed something bitter, but Viktor was beaming at Yuuri. Before the small omega could react in any way, the royal guards had surrounded them, and Phichit ushered them forward. Yuuri looked amusedly at how the guards tried to make Yura move forward, but failed until Viktor took a hold of the omega’s hand and pulled him along.

“You’ll like it!” Viktor replied to Yuri’s curses.

They walked back to the castle, but then Phichit changed his mind and headed towards the Katsuki estate instead. Yuuri was secretly pleased that he would be bringing Viktor back to his own home, where the omega’s scent had been fading fast. They walked in through the front entrance and were met with Takeshi’s disbelieving scowl.

“Tell the kitchen that we have company,” Phichit said as if it was his own home.

Takeshi glanced at Yuuri and the two omegas once before nodding and leaving.

“Let’s go to the parlour,” Phichit said and headed towards the said room.

The guards stayed outside of the room, although Yuuri could tell they weren’t exactly happy about leaving the prince with two strangers. Phichit laughed and shut the door right in front of their noses. Yuuri turned to look at his visitors, both of whom were observing the room with their eyes wide in amazement. Yuri was clearly trying to hide his awe, but wasn’t doing a very good job of it. Yuuri noticed how old and worn out his collar was and wondered if it was as old as Viktor’s.

There was a knock on the door, and the omegas both reacted with a flinch, turning around to face whoever was about to enter the room. Phichit opened the door to Takeshi, who announced that the kitchen had been made aware of the situation.

“Good,” Phichit said and pulled the alpha in. “Now you’ll take us to the baths.”

Takeshi looked at Yuuri, but Yuuri just shrugged. He had no idea what Phichit had in mind. He soon learned, however, when Yuri screamed as Phichit started dragging him out of the room.

“Yura, just go with it,” Viktor said and sent him a big smile. “You’ll love it!”

Yuri didn’t seem quite that convinced, but at least he wasn’t trying to attack Phichit, who followed Takeshi out of the second door that led to the back wing. The door slammed shut, and Yuuri was alone with Viktor.

Viktor looked around the room before hesitantly sitting down on one of the sofas. He sat right on the edge as if he was waiting for someone to reprimand him and tell him to get up. Yuuri walked over to him and smiled before sitting down next to him, but enough of a distance away to not make him uncomfortable. He watched as the omega continued to look around the room in what looked like disbelief. Yuuri might have felt the same way if he wasn’t so used to living in the huge mansion. He wondered what Viktor’s past was like, where he came from that made him so unaccustomed to grandeur. Although Yuuri had already figured out that Viktor probably came from the northern region based on he and Yuri’s names, but it was hundreds of kilometres away.

“Why did you abandon me?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri noticed that the omega had turned to look at him.

“I didn’t think I was abandoning you,” Yuuri said truthfully.

Viktor looked down to the floor. He looked sad and broken somehow.

“Didn’t you make me your omega?” he asked

Yuuri immediately shook his head in shock. He hadn’t thought that Viktor would misunderstand him so severely.

“I didn’t!” he said to make sure that his intentions were clear. “I… I’m sorry I scented you without asking, but it’s… I have some problems with, well, with omegas.”

Viktor cocked his head to the side and his hair slid down his shoulder. Yuuri’s face was quickly heating up.

“You see,” he said slowly, not quite able to look at Viktor. “Ever since I presented as an alpha it’s been impossible for me to control my nature around omegas. I have… I’ve done many things that I’m not proud of.”

Viktor’s eyes had widened when Yuuri glanced at him.

“No one knows why it happens,” Yuuri said. “It’s horrible.”

Yuuri felt Viktor’s stare on his skin and fidgeted on his seat.

“I know it doesn’t excuse what I did,” he added when Viktor remained quiet.

“I’m glad you scented me,” Viktor said.

Yuuri turned to look at him so fast that his neck protested. Viktor had a faint blush on his cheeks and his face was curtained by his hair.

“You freed me of my past,” Viktor explained.

Yuuri swallowed. Viktor might have been pleased with the outcome, but Yuuri had forcibly taken someone else’s omega. He should have known better.

“But you don’t belong to me,” he said. “You had someone else’s scent on you.”

Viktor turned to look at him with such fury in his eyes that Yuuri backed away a bit.

“I don’t have an alpha,” he said. “Nobody owns me.”

“I know that’s what you want,” Yuuri said trying to make Viktor see things from his point. “But that’s not quite right, is it? Someone had scented you.”

Viktor’s gaze was icy as he leaned back from Yuuri.

“I don’t know why I came back here,” he said. “I must have still been delirious from the fever.”

Yuuri bit his lip and looked down.

“I don’t know how I managed to convince myself that you’re different from the others,” Viktor said, mostly to himself, but his words hit a sore spot in Yuuri’s heart.

It was quite amazing how this angry Viktor who hated alphas was the same Viktor who had just moments ago ran to Yuuri’s arms and cried against his shoulder. Yuuri wanted to understand him, but it seemed that in order for Viktor to not leave him for good, he would have to forget about protocol and rules. In this case doing the right thing might not be what rules told him.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said quietly. “Please, understand that my family is very prominent in this town. Rules and traditions are important to follow, and I’ve been told to do everything right ever since I was little. It’s… As much as I want to forget all about it for you, Viktor, it’s hard.”

His words seemed to have a soothing effect on Viktor, although the omega continued to regard him warily.

“How would I know you’re not just trying to manipulate me into telling you too much?” Viktor asked.

“I guess you can’t know that,” Yuuri said with a sigh. “I can only ask you to trust me.”

Viktor turned to look at the door where Phichit had led Yuri. He probably needed to think to figure out how much trust he could place on Yuuri. However, it didn’t take long for him to turn back to the alpha.

“What are your intentions with me?” Viktor asked. “Why are you being so kind to me?”

Yuuri hadn’t expected that question, although in hindsight he maybe should have. He gawked at Viktor feeling stupid. His face was feeling so hot that he was probably completely red.

“I want to,” he began and stopped to think, heart beating like he had just ran very hard. “I want to know everything about you and, and be close to you.”

Viktor looked at him thoughtfully, eyes slightly squinted. Yuuri rubbed his hands together. His palms were sweaty.

“You want to be close to me?” Viktor asked. “Why?”

Yuuri gasped. He hadn’t expected Viktor to keep questioning him, although, once more, maybe he should have. He had thought that his confession was already enough to explain his intents. Yuuri’s hands were starting to shake. He hadn’t thought that he would have to say it out loud.

“You are,” he mumbled, cleared his throat and forced his voice louder. “Because you’re different from anyone else, and I like that about you.”

Yuuri looked at Viktor with apprehension. He didn’t know what the omega was thinking, and he almost wished that Viktor would take his collar off so his scent would be an indicator of his mood.

“I think you’re interesting,” Yuuri said.

Viktor’s mouth was a thin line as he regarded Yuuri.

“Are you saying you want to court me?” he asked.

Yuuri flinched and rubbed his knees with his sweaty hands.

“I guess so,” he said quietly.

“How?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri looked up in surprise. He didn’t understand the question. Viktor must know what it means for an alpha to court an omega, so what was he trying to ask?

“You said you don’t want to have sex with me,” Viktor said. “Why would you court me if you have no interest in… in being with me?”

Yuuri may have come to the conversation with no expectations, but at least he would have never expected to be talking about a sexual relationship with an omega he had barely just met. He wished that he could leave the room and go cool off for a moment, but that would be rude. If he was willing to bend some rules for Viktor, at least he should make sure to follow all the other rules that he had been taught.

“I mean, when I said that,” Yuuri said, trying his hardest to not let his voice trail off like it wanted to. “I meant that your scent doesn’t make me… it doesn’t turn me into an uncontrollable… I still maintain most of my control around you.”

Viktor raised an eyebrow at that. Yuuri was biting at the soft flesh of his cheek, sincerely hoping that Viktor would be satisfied with his answer and not demand him to say anything else embarrassing. He couldn’t even look at Viktor any longer.

“I don’t know what to say,” Viktor said.

Yuuri glanced at him to notice that he had turned away, arms crossed over his chest and eyes focused on the door across the room.

“I know you don’t want to be…” Yuuri said but had to think for a proper way to convey his message without angering Viktor. “You aren’t interested in being someone’s… possession.”

Viktor looked at him from the corner of his eye. He didn’t look exactly pleased with Yuuri’s way of putting it, but he wasn’t frowning either.

“I understand that you want to be free,” Yuuri added.

Viktor nodded.

“Are you free now, Viktor?” Yuuri asked.

The omega turned to look at him in surprise.

“Do you feel free?” Yuuri asked. “You’re on the run, and because omegas aren’t supposed to live on their own, you’re also an outlaw.”

Viktor was staring at him. Yuuri bit his lip and hoped that he wasn’t crossing a line.

“Where did you sleep last night, Viktor?” Yuuri asked. “Did you sleep at all? Do you have a home?”

There was a glassy look on Viktor’s eyes, an Yuuri had no idea where to go with his speech next. Was it good that the omega was getting emotional, or should he pedal back and make sure that Viktor wasn’t feeling uncomfortable? There were so many things he didn’t know about omegas, yet the things he knew were useless with Viktor.

“Is Yuri all the family you have?” Yuuri asked.

For a moment he was holding his breath, waiting for Viktor to react. It was perfectly still. Viktor was breathing calmly, but then he sniffled. Yuuri looked at him when he nodded, and Yuuri thought it was a good sign, that Viktor was opening up to him even this little bit. However, then Viktor shook his head, and Yuuri was thrown off the loop again.

He sighed involuntarily and looked away from Viktor. He felt the deep blue eyes on him, and it chilled him.

“I can’t tell you,” Viktor said.

Yuuri looked back at him. Viktor’s eyes were sad, and Yuuri was left wondering how it was possible for their colour to seemingly change with his emotions.

“You love your rules,” Viktor said, uncrossing his arms and instead clutching the hem of his shirt. “If I tell you anything, you’ll want to act.”

Yuuri looked into Viktor’s eyes. He wished that he could read them more than this, he wished that he could tell exactly what Viktor was thinking. He wished that he knew if what he was about to say was a huge mistake or exactly what Viktor needed to feel better.

“I’m selfish,” Yuuri said.

Viktor snorted and then lifted a hand to his mouth.

“I don’t want to follow the rules if it means that you’ll be sad,” Yuuri said.

Viktor slowly lowered his hand back to his lap and bit his lips together.

“Viktor, I don’t know if you even realise how easy it would be for me to ask around a bit,” Yuuri said slowly. “Your name and your looks tell me you come from up north. I only need to send a word up there and I’ll find out for sure.”

“Are you blackmailing me?” Viktor asked, voice trembling.

Yuuri shook his head.

“No, Viktor,” he said. “I don’t want to do that because it would mean that I might lose you.”

Viktor sniffed at him and looked away.

“You and Yuri are both from the northern region, right?” Yuuri asked.

He saw Viktor flinch.

“How long ago did you leave?” he asked.

Viktor crossed his arms again and leaned away from Yuuri, back touching the backrest for the first time after they had sat down.

“Why did you leave?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor wasn’t looking at him, but now he turned his head away even more.

“If,” Yuuri said but had to stop to clear his throat. “If you were abused…”

He couldn’t quite bring himself to finish the sentence, but it had piqued Viktor’s interest. The omega tried to hide it, but was looking at Yuuri from the corner of his eye.

“It’s illegal to abuse your omega,” Yuuri said, barely louder than a whisper. “If he did that, he won’t be allowed to keep you.”

“Your laws don’t apply up there,” Viktor said almost desperately.

He turned to look at Yuuri.

“But you’re not there anymore, are you,” Yuuri said. “You’re here. And here our laws will protect you.”

Viktor seemed thoughtful. He was squeezing his right elbow with his left hand.

“If you,” Yuuri continued. “For as long as you don’t go back, he can’t have you.”

Viktor’s tears came so quickly that Yuuri could hardly even follow what was happening. Viktor slumped forward, hiding his face in his hands, and cried.

“You didn’t know?” Yuuri asked, although he had thought so.

Viktor shook his head. Yuuri hesitated, but then stroked Viktor’s hair. It was still smooth, and Yuuri hoped that Viktor would never have to return to such a dirty state. If only the omega would let him help.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said. “I have a proposition for you.”

Viktor looked up at him with his wet eyes, and Yuuri wanted to pull him into an embrace and scent him again.

“If I,” Yuuri started, but then shook his head. “If you let me mark you…”

Viktor already jumped back, and Yuuri hurried to continue.

“No, Viktor, please, hear me out! If I mark you, everyone will leave you alone!” he said. “No official would touch you if they think you belong to someone. You can stop running and always fearing for your safety.”

The omega regarded him with a hint of interest, but it was buried in a layer of disbelief.

“I know you don’t want to be someone’s omega,” Yuuri said, hoping that Viktor could see what he was trying to convey. “I’m not going to tie you down. I… I can’t do that.”

“What would stop you?” Viktor ask, suspicion clear in his voice.

“I, I think I love you, Viktor,” Yuuri said.

He snapped his mouth shut right after the words had already escaped. He looked at Viktor in horror, expecting the omega to immediately run, but Viktor was still there, watching him with his eyes that felt like they were boring deep inside Yuuri’s soul. It made him uneasy, and he wanted to turn away, but that was no way of building trust.

“You don’t even know me,” Viktor said, but didn’t sound certain.

“Haven’t you heard the stories of fated mates?” Yuuri asked and laughed to make the atmosphere lighter again. “I don’t know why, but something about you feels so right. I don’t understand it.”

“I don’t believe in fairy tales,” Viktor said. “There is no such thing as a fated mate. There are only people: those who use and those who are used.”

“I guess that’s what it looks like to you,” Yuuri said. “I really want to understand you, Viktor.”

Viktor looked at him closely.

“How can an alpha be your servant?” he asked.

Yuuri jumped at how unexpected the question was.

“Takeshi?” he asked, although it was obvious that Viktor meant Takeshi. “He’s more of a bodyguard, I guess.”

“Isn’t it hard?” Viktor asked, and there was something sardonic in his voice. “Won’t he try to fight you for dominance?”

Yuuri laughed, which in turn seemed to baffle Viktor.

“There’s nothing like that between us,” Yuuri explained. “We’ve been friends since we were children.”

“How are you friends with someone of low enough status to be your bodyguard?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri smiled at his sneers.

“His parents have always worked for my parents,” he said. “It’s a generation thing, you know. So, we grew up together.”

“Yet you can still order him around,” Viktor added.

“It’s his job,” Yuuri said. “He knows that. And it’s not like I ask him for miracles. Maybe you haven’t seen it, but I do appreciate him.”

Viktor studied his face for a while before sniffing.

“What about that beta?” he asked. “Is he your friend too?”

“No,” Yuuri said. “He’s more of a servant, I suppose.”

“You suppose?” Viktor asked snarkily.

“I don’t really know how to order people around,” Yuuri admitted.

Viktor looked at him like he had just told the biggest lie.

“If that’s what you think, you’re just like every other alpha I’ve ever known,” Viktor said.

“And how many alphas have you known in your life?” Yuuri asked in return.

Viktor went quiet. It was uncomfortable silence, and Yuuri was already trying to deduce how big a mistake he had just made.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You don’t upset me,” Viktor said, although he was clearly upset.

Yuuri couldn’t help smiling. Viktor was stubborn, and something about it was so endearing that it was difficult to get annoyed by it.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said. “I want you to stay here.”

Viktor’s eyes narrowed.

“I knew you wouldn’t really allow me to be free,” he hissed.

“That’s not what I mean,” Yuuri defended himself. “I mean that I want you to think of this as your home. You can come and go as you like, but you’ll always have a place here.”

“In the servants’ wing?” Viktor asked, although Yuuri could hear that he had intrigued something inside him.

“No,” he said. “In a guest room.”

“Not in your room?” Viktor snapped.

Yuuri couldn’t help blushing. He swallowed.

“Of course I hope that maybe one day you would want to stay with me,” he said quietly, eyes not quite meeting Viktor’s. “But even if you don’t, I don’t mind. I just… I want you around.”

“Why?” Viktor asked, and Yuuri felt like their conversation had gone full circle.

“Didn’t I already tell you?” he asked in return.

Viktor was drumming his fingers on his thigh.

“Your scent makes me happy,” Yuuri said, when Viktor didn’t say anything to help him.

“You can’t even smell it properly because of the collar,” Viktor pointed out.

“I can still sense it,” Yuuri said. “I knew immediately when you left yesterday.”

Viktor bit his lip in thought. Yuuri allowed the silence to settle over them. He had said everything he had wanted to say, and it was Viktor’s turn to talk or leave things unsaid. Yuuri could only wish that Viktor wasn’t too stubborn to reject him just for his ideals, no matter how noble and great they were.

“What about Yura?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri didn’t know how it was possible for him to always be surprised with Viktor’s thought processes. Once again he felt stupid for not having guessed that Viktor would bring up a major thing.

“What about him?” Yuuri asked weakly.

“I can’t leave him,” Viktor said sternly. “I will never leave him.”

“He’s welcome to stay with you,” Yuuri said. “I can tell he means a lot to you.”

“He’s like a brother to me,” Viktor said, but then went quiet, looking guiltily at the door where they had last seen Yuri disappear.

“I won’t tell,” Yuuri said.

Viktor eyed him with suspicion, but decided to drop the subject.

“How long do you think your friend is going to bathe Yura?” he asked instead.

Yuuri laughed.

“With Phichit it’s always hard to know,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’s safe.”

“I’m not worried about him,” Viktor said and smiled fondly at the door. “I’m more worried about your friends.”

Yuuri smiled at him. It was good to see Viktor so honest. It reminded him of the first time he had seen Viktor asleep. He remembered the scar on Viktor’s arm, and his eyes trailed down to said arm.

“Viktor, your old collar,” he said. “I could have it shortened so it would fit your wrist more comfortably.”

Viktor turned to look at him with his eyebrows furrowed, before he looked down at his wrist.

“Unless you want to put it back on your neck,” Yuuri hurried to add.

Viktor trailed along the cracked leather with a finger.

“Is it still the same if it’s shorter?” he asked, but Yuuri supposed he was talking to himself, and remained quiet.

Viktor was so focused on the collar on his wrist that he jumped up when the door to the parlour opened.

Yuuri turned to look at the door. First he met eyes with a very angry looking omega, whose golden hair had been combed so that it flowed softly over his shoulders. His skin looked much cleaner that it had been before, although he hadn’t been even nearly as dirty as Viktor had when he was first brought in. His ill-fitting clothes had been changed, and Yuuri thought that if it weren’t for the angry scowl on his face, he would look like an angel.

Behind Yuri, Phichit stepped into the room with a big smile on his face, hand patting the omega’s back. Yuri jumped away from his touch, and Phichit laughed as he closed the door behind him.

“Viktor!” Yuri yelled and stomped towards the other omega. “How could you let this happen to me?”

Yuuri turned to look at Viktor, whose eyes had teared up.

“Yuratchka!” he exclaimed and pulled the struggling omega into an embrace. “You look exactly like you used to look when you were little!”

“What’s wrong with your eyes, old man!” Yuri responded, but stopped struggling to awkwardly pat Viktor’s back.

“Such a beautiful boy,” Viktor said when he let Yuri go.

The smaller omega jumped back and looked warily at Viktor.

“Let’s go already,” he said.

Viktor didn’t say anything, and Yuuri felt anxious. Even if Viktor had decided to stay for the day, Yuri would certainly talk him out of it.

“You should both stay for dinner at least,” Phichit said, reminding everyone of the meal that was being prepared.

Viktor smiled at Yuri, who looked ready to explode, but miraculously kept his cool.

“Yura,” Viktor said then.

“Stop calling me that already,” Yuri mumbled, but without true fight.

“I’m not leaving today,” Viktor said.

The room went silent for a moment before everything exploded.

“What?” Yuri shouted so loud that there was a knock on the door.

Yuuri watched as Phichit went to open and reassure his guards.

“You’re insane!” Yuri yelled. “What did he do to you?”

Yuri turned towards Yuuri and pointed an accusing finger at him.

“What did you do to Viktor?” he screamed. “You’re not allowed to cage him!”

“Yura, it was my decision,” Viktor said.

The other omega turned back at him in disbelief.

“Maybe you don’t understand it,” Viktor said.

“I sure as hell don’t!” Yuri said.

“Maybe I’m just too old to be a stray anymore,” Viktor said and shrugged.

“That’s bullshit!” Yuri yelled and stepped towards Viktor, pulling him closer from the clothes. “You’re not too old! Never!”

“I don’t know how to convince you,” Viktor said sadly. “I’m tired, Yura.”

“Stop saying such horrible things!” Yuri screamed, and his voice broke.

Viktor bit his lip. He allowed Yuri to shake him by the clothes.

“You don’t understand it,” he said quietly. “You didn’t spend even a full year with an alpha. You don’t know what it’s like.”

Yuri’s grip loosened considerably, and the fabric of Viktor’s shirt pulled away.

“You’re lying,” Yuri said, voice trembling.

“Yuuri is offering me true freedom,” Viktor said. “He’s offering it to the both of us.”

Yuri shook his head and backed away from Viktor.

“Think about it,” Viktor said barely audibly. “It’s dangerous out there.”

Yuri shook his head harder.

“You’re not my Viktor,” he whispered.

“Yura, please,” Viktor said, but his voice was breaking now too. “Don’t hate me. I just… I need to feel safe again.”

Yuri furiously wiped away any tears that fell from his eyes.

“I need a home again,” Viktor said so quietly that Yuuri hardly even heard it.

He felt that this conversation was something that he wasn’t supposed to hear, but he couldn’t exactly walk away. Phichit didn’t look uneasy at all; he was sitting in an armchair and admiring the view from the window to the garden.

“Your home is with me,” Yuri sobbed.

“I know,” Viktor said. “That’s why you’ll stay too.”

“No!” Yuri yelled, and suddenly his sadness seemed to be gone. “I’ll never stay with an alpha!”

“You can’t go!” Viktor said. “What if something happens to you?”

“I’m fully capable of taking care of myself,” Yuri said. “I’ve been doing it fine so far.”

“But-,” Viktor tried to argue but was interrupted by Yuri.

“If I could take care of you when I was 11 and you lost your head, clearly I can take care of myself alone now that I’m older.”

Viktor looked like he wanted to argue further, but apparently, Yuri had hit a nerve.

“Yura,” Viktor said instead and pulled a reluctant Yuri into a hug. “You’re my best brother.”

“You don’t even have real brothers,” Yuri mumbled, but returned the hug.

They embraced for a long time, and Yuuri could tell that Yuri was getting restless, but didn’t try to struggle out of it. They must have loved each other deeply, and Yuuri was hopeful that maybe one day he would learn the reason behind it.

“At least you’ll stay for dinner,” Viktor said before releasing Yuri.

The smaller omega didn’t look happy about it at all, but nodded shortly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was super sleepy while proofreading this, like literally my eyes wouldn't stay open, but I decided to publish anyway because I've read this through a hundred times so maybe there aren't any big mistakes. Also I only just finished writing the first draft of next chapter so I'm quickly running out of fic to post! I wish I wasn't so tired all the time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a short scene with referenced child abuse. I don't think it's enough to need an underage warning, but just a heads up if that's not your thing.

After Yuri left, Viktor felt tired. Yuri had asked to leave through the servants’ entrance to not draw attention to himself, and Viktor had hugged him for so long that the omega had punched him in the ribs before being released. Viktor had looked after him until he disappeared behind a corner, and then continued to stand in place until Yuuri nudged his arm and pulled him back inside.

Viktor and Yuri didn’t spend much time together. Soon after arriving to their current hometown, they had established that it was safer to be alone, and usually Viktor didn’t struggle so much to let him leave. He didn’t understand why it was different this time. He looked at Yuuri who was waiting for him to say or do something.

“Can I,” he asked timidly. “Could I go rest?”

“Of course,” Yuuri said and smiled. “I’ll show you to your room. Later I’ll show you around the house so you’ll know where to go.”

_More like where I’m allowed to go_ , Viktor thought, but kept his mouth shut. He was almost ready to believe that Yuuri wasn’t like the other alphas, at least not intentionally, but he thought it was still better to stay alert around him until he learned more. The alpha led him back to the grand hall and up the wide staircase to the second floor.

“My parents are traveling right now,” Yuuri said. “They’ll return in a few days, and I’ll introduce you to them when they come back.”

“Won’t they be disappointed?” Viktor asked absentmindedly while looking around in the hallway.

He bumped into Yuuri who had stopped walking. Viktor looked down to meet his eyes.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said and took a hold of his hands. “They’ll be happy to know I have found someone who makes me feel comfortable.”

Viktor didn’t know what to say to that, so he merely nodded. Yuuri turned back but held on to one of Viktor’s hands. Viktor didn’t mind it much. In fact, it felt nice to hold hands with someone after… Well, he had never held hands with anyone unless you counted Yuri, but it wasn’t the same to hold hands with your brother. Yuuri’s hand was soft and warm, and it was smaller than Viktor’s. His fingers were a bit chubby, and Viktor found himself thinking that it was a friendly hand to hold onto.

The hallway had high ceilings, but Viktor wasn’t all that surprised after seeing how big the entranceway had been. Not to mention the parlour. They passed by several doors, and he was curious to know what was behind them, but didn’t find it in himself to ask. He would have to constantly keep reminding himself to not reveal too much about himself, even if it was simple curiosity towards the building that was apparently his home now.

“This will be your room,” Yuuri said and stopped by a door that had carved vines on it. “My room is right next to yours, it’s that door.”

Yuuri pointed to the next door some way away, and Viktor nodded.

“My parents sleep in the other wing,” Yuuri said.

The alpha opened the door to Viktor’s new room, and Viktor gasped when he saw it: there was a massive window overlooking the back garden with nicely fitted curtains surrounding it. The walls were pale green, the floor made of the same white tiling than the other rooms (Viktor later learned that it was marble, something he had never known to even exist), and the bed was much bigger than the one Viktor had previously slept in. He had already thought that bed was big, but this one was huge. He didn’t understand why any one person would need such a big bed, but then figured that the guest rooms were probably meant to house both single people and couples. He wondered if any omegas had ever been allowed to stay there before.

“You have your own bathroom here,” Yuuri said.

Viktor hadn’t even noticed when the alpha had left his side and walked over to the right side of the room to a door. Viktor joined him and peered in the bathroom that looked modest compared to the room it was attached to, but was still much bigger than the bathroom in his old home- in the place he had previously lived in. It was similar to the one where he had bathed during his previous stay at the Katsuki residence, except it had a selection of soaps on a shelf.

They returned to the bedroom.

“If you need some assistance, pull on this string,” Yuuri said pointing to a nice string of silk hanging next to the bed. “A servant will come see you when you do.”

Viktor’s head was spinning with all the grandiose things the room had to offer, but he was already certain that he would never call for a servant.

“I’ll leave you to rest now,” Yuuri said heading to the door. “I think I’ll rest myself too, so if you need me, I’ll be in the next room.”

Viktor nodded. He noticed that Yuuri waited for a moment – probably for him to say goodbye to him – but he was still too preoccupied with the scale of his room, and soon the door clacked and Yuuri was gone.

The longer Viktor stayed in the room the bigger it seemed. He went over to the closet and pulled the doors open just to see if it was as big on the inside as it looked on the outside. It was, and Viktor had no idea how anyone would have enough clothes to justify having such a big closet. He closed the doors and went over to the bed. He sat down on the edge. It was nice and soft, and Viktor lay down. He had already gotten used to sleeping in a big bed, but this one was just way too big. It didn’t feel like a bed anymore. It felt like it would devour him if he stayed on it for too long.

He sat up. He looked at the closet doors across the room. Then he got up, pulled as many beddings as he could carry with him, and took them to the closet. He opened the doors and started building a nest inside.

It was a new experience to build a nest when he wasn’t going into heat. He had never done it before, and had never thought that he’d feel the need for it. He knew that some omegas built nests for their everyday use, but Viktor didn’t understand it. Then he reminded himself of the fact that it was impossible to nest while on the run and living on the streets, so he should stop thinking about such nonsense. He pushed the beddings into the closet and closed one door. It gave the nest more of a secluded feeling. He went back over to the bed to get some more material, and he was done. He settled into the nest, pulling the other closet door almost all the way closed behind him.

The nest felt good. Viktor felt at home, even though the beddings were all unbearably clean and lacked any scents. It would change soon enough. He curled amongst the sheets and closed his eyes. A slither of sunlight kept the closet illuminated enough to remind him of starry nights when the moon was big. They were the worst nights because of easier detection, but he had enjoyed the scenery.

He thought about Yuri who was out there somewhere. He didn’t want to think about his omega brother, but what else could he do? There was no stress of being caught, nothing to keep his mind preoccupied and focused on his own survival.

No, that was a dangerous thought. He should remember that as nice as Yuuri seemed, this might not be the safe place Viktor wished it was. The future could hold almost anything, and Viktor should be prepared to face it. Even if it hurt.

Viktor drifted off with restless thoughts, but eventually fell into a deep sleep. He was woken up by a loud knock on the door. His heart was hammering in his chest as he slowly sat up, having to remind himself that he wasn’t on the streets. He didn’t have to be so afraid.

“Viktor?” he heard Yuuri call.

He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to see the alpha again, but he didn’t want to leave the nest that felt so comfortable. Maybe he had made the wrong decision staying over. He wasn’t used to this. He was used to eating out of trash cans and hiding next to smelly dumpsters because they hid his scent. He was used to running and scraping his arms and every now and then stealing a fruit to stay alive.

“Can I come in?” the alpha asked from the other side of the door.

Viktor didn’t know what to say, so he remained quiet. He wasn’t sure he liked the person he became when Yuuri was around. He had been perfectly happy by himself until Yuuri had walked in his life, and now he couldn’t imagine not feeling the butterflies in his stomach when he smelled the alpha. He wanted to let Yuuri own him, and that scared him.

There was one more knock on the door, but as Viktor remained quietly in the closet, Yuuri eventually left. Viktor couldn’t hear him, but he smelled it.

He’d already gotten sensitive to Yuuri’s scent too.

His life was a mess.

Viktor buried his head in the nest to feel more like himself. He fumbled with his collar to take it off. It dropped to the floor of the nest, somewhere next to Viktor’s body. His scent filled the closet, and he rubbed his glands against the cloth around him. He needed a calm place now that he was allowed to have one, and the best way to calm himself was to make sure that the nest belonged to him completely.

What he hadn’t realised was that Yuuri’s scent was still on him. It made him whimper. He had always hated the idea of needing someone by his side, but now he felt like he couldn’t go on if he didn’t know that Yuuri was going to be there for him.

Viktor put the collar back on and turned to lie on his back. He was quite amazed by the fact that he could lie down straight in the closet yet his toes didn’t even touch the wall.

Then he thought about Yuuri telling him that he was going to stay in his own room. But if Yuuri had been knocking on his door, did that mean that the alpha had gone somewhere else? How would Viktor know where to find him now? The house was so big he would probably get lost in it on his own. Besides, he didn’t know what Yuuri usually did. Would he be in the parlour? Would he have gone to the front garden? It didn’t seem likely.

Viktor was suddenly so worried, that he immediately got up and left the nest in the closet. He turned around before he got to the door, and closed the closet to keep his scent inside. Then he went over to the door and cracked it open.

He peered out to the empty hallway. He couldn’t hear anything. He sneaked out of his room and closed the door quietly. He went to Yuuri’s room. The door had different carvings to the ones on his door: roses in full bloom. Viktor wondered if the carvings on each door had some specific meaning, but he didn’t have time to think about that. He had to find Yuuri.

Viktor knocked timidly, thinking that if Yuuri was in the room, he wouldn’t hear it. When nothing happened, Viktor tried the door, but it was locked. He wasn’t sure if it was normal or if Yuuri was taking precautionary measures because he had brought in a street omega.

Viktor knocked again just to make sure, but his nose was enough to tell him that Yuuri wasn’t in that room. He wondered if he could follow Yuuri’s scent trail to wherever the alpha was, but he had never needed to learn how to do that. He had never learned to differentiate between different scents, mostly because he had lived alone with his previous owner. No, not his previous owner. _That alpha_.

It felt stupid to simply stand there, so Viktor turned back to where Yuuri had brought him in. He found himself walking close to the wall to stay safer in the huge place. He wasn’t used to having so much open space around him. It made him feel uneasy to think that someone could be watching him.

Viktor slowly descended the stairs to the first floor. The hall made him feel even more uneasy than he had already felt, because there were no walls close by. He crouched down at the first stair and thought. He didn’t want to go around the house opening random doors looking for an alpha he was not supposed to care about. He didn’t want to care about being left alone or not knowing where Yuuri was. Why was it so hard?

With a sigh Viktor got up and headed to the parlour. At least he knew that room. The room was empty, and he quietly closed the door behind him. The parlour was still much bigger than he was used to, much more so than his new bedroom. He didn’t understand the need for all the space, when there didn’t seem to be many visitors to the house. Maybe it was something that the rich and powerful needed.

Viktor sat down on a chair. It was soft and comfortable, and he immediately felt guilty for sitting in it. Surely he wasn’t allowed to sit on all this fine furniture that was meant for high-ranking visitors and not a runaway omega like himself. He stood up and walked around the room just to understand how big it was. He stopped by the window to admire the garden. He could see the front gate, the bushes surrounding the iron fence, the trees that were currently in full bloom. Back where he came from they had had a small kitchen garden at the back of the house and an old apple tree at the front. Half of the year the yard was covered in snow. He wondered if there was always something blooming in the Katsuki gardens.

He was startled by the door opening.

“Viktor!” Yuuri said, sounding pleasantly surprised when he entered. “I thought you were sleeping.”

Viktor felt guilty. He didn’t need to feel guilty, but it seemed that after he decided to move in, his training as a domestic omega was kicking in again. He knew what he was supposed to do and what he never should do, and wandering around the house on his own, sitting on fancy furniture without a permission was certainly something he wasn’t supposed to do.

“I’m sorry,” he said and frowned at himself.

Yuuri smiled at him.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked and sat down on one of the sofas.

Viktor nodded.

“That’s good,” Yuuri said. “I came to see you but you were still asleep.”

Viktor turned his head away, hair dropping from behind his shoulder to shield his face from view. He was lying to his alpha. It was a very bad thing. He found himself shivering, and prayed that Yuuri couldn’t see it.

“Is everything okay?” Yuuri asked.

“Yes,” Viktor answered quietly.

Yuuri hummed at that, and Viktor was sure that the alpha was just waiting for him to slip and admit his wrongdoing so he could be punished.

“Come sit with me?” Yuuri offered.

Viktor looked at him from behind the curtain of his hair. Yuuri looked sincere, patting the sofa next to him. Viktor approached slowly, but nothing in the alpha indicated that something bad would happen. Warily Viktor sat down, making sure to keep his distance.

“I thought that I should clarify a few things,” Yuuri said.

Viktor had to face him, so he brushed his hair aside to show his guilty face at the alpha.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor didn’t answer him at all. The silence was getting uncomfortable. Surely the alpha would blow up any moment.

Instead Yuuri just frowned shortly before changing the subject.

“I want you to know,” he said, “that you are free to use the front entrance when you leave and when you come back. The guards know who you are, so there won’t be a problem.”

“Guards?” Viktor asked, eyes widening.

He hadn’t realised that there were guards in this place. Well, now that he thought about it, Yuuri had told him during his very first visit, but when he hadn’t seen anyone he had let it slip his mind.

“Yes, the security guards,” Yuuri confirmed.

Viktor didn’t like knowing that there were people around who could see him but who he hadn’t even noticed.

“Of course you can also use the back entrance,” Yuuri continued like he had been discussing the weather, “if that makes you more comfortable. I don’t mind either way. It’s completely up to you.”

“Wait,” Viktor interrupted before Yuuri could speak more. “What do you mean when I leave?”

Yuuri looked at him in surprise.

“Well,” he said, hesitating a bit. “I thought that surely you still want to go out as you wish? You’re used to going where and when you want.”

“I can go?” Viktor asked incredulously. “When I want to?”

“I thought that was obvious,” Yuuri said matter-of-factly.

Yuuri looked so seriously confused by Viktor’s reaction that Viktor was beginning to think that he had forgotten an important part of one of their previous conversations.

“I don’t understand you,” he said.

Yuuri sighed and slid down against the backrest of the sofa.

“I think the problem is that you don’t believe me,” Yuuri said. “You dismiss everything I say so it’s a surprise to you when it turns out I really meant what I said.

The alpha had a point, but Viktor didn’t want to tell him that. Instead he looked towards the window. It felt strange to think that he was allowed to go outside, leave the premises and go wherever he wanted to go. He had no idea that life could be like that: he could have a home with an alpha and still leave. When he still lived with _that alpha_ , he had been allowed to go into the small garden, but that was not much farther than the wall of the house. He had to ask to be taken for a walk, and if his master wasn’t in the mood, he would stay inside and pretend he wasn’t sulking, because sulking meant a punishment.

Viktor had decided to give Yuuri the benefit of a doubt because if he was honest with himself, he was exhausted with having to keep running, never getting enough sleep or water, eating so irregularly that his muscles were losing strength due to lack of nutrients and exercise, and the fear of getting caught by the officials or _that man_. Sometimes he had nightmares where t _he alpha_ had found him and he woke up in horror, disoriented and certain that he was going to die. When he and Yuri had fled, he had been tired of always being groomed just to show him off to the poor folk who couldn’t afford an omega in the family, but now he was tired of always being dirty and having no way of getting properly clean.

“What are my rules?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri looked at him for a long time without a word before stuttering a response.

“Your rules… I don’t know? Why would there be rules?”

Viktor frowned. He regarded the alpha, but Yuuri seemed genuinely confused by his question.

“You know,” he said, almost annoyed that he had to explain such a basic thing to the alpha. “What am I not allowed to do?”

Yuuri’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. Viktor didn’t know how to feel about it. Maybe Yuuri had never thought that he would be able to keep an omega because of his… condition, but surely he knew that omegas weren’t allowed to do what regular people were.

“Why would you not be allowed to do something?” Yuuri asked after a long silence.

Viktor was still frowning, and he thought that Yuuri would make him get horrible wrinkles around his forehead.

“I’m a pet, aren’t I?” he pointed out. “Pets have rules. Like: ‘don’t sit on the good furniture’, or: ‘wait for a permission to speak’.”

Yuuri’s eyes widened. Viktor crossed his arms.

“No, Viktor!” Yuuri said so hurriedly that he stumbled over his words. “That’s not how I view you at all!”

“Then what am I?” Viktor asked, exasperated.

For one heartbeat, it was absolutely silent.

“I’m hoping that you’ll be my lover,” Yuuri said quietly.

It was Viktor’s turn to look surprised and confused. He must have misunderstood severely, but he didn’t know what Yuuri could have meant.

“I’m surprised you didn’t realise that,” Yuuri said, still quiet. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d be willing to stay anywhere as a pet. I thought you agreed to stay because of that.”

Viktor stood up and turned his back to Yuuri. It made him vulnerable for surprise attacks, but he couldn’t bear to look at the alpha any longer. He had to collect his thoughts somehow.

“Are you angry?” Yuuri asked. “Are you disappointed?”

The cold hard truth was that Viktor was crying. He had expected to find himself as a rich alpha’s pet, a fancy domesticated omega like everyone wanted, and he was now told that instead he was an actual person? With value? With – freedom?

Viktor’s tears were silent, but eventually he had to sniffle, and he heard Yuuri get up immediately. The alpha rounded to his front to look at him with worried eyes.

“What’s wrong, Viktor?” he asked.

“You see me as a person?” Viktor asked in return.

“Of course!” Yuuri said and smiled. “How else would I view you?”

Viktor shook his head in disbelief.

“Are you stupid?” he asked, making Yuuri flinch. “Don’t you know why alphas are so desperate to get their hands on an omega?”

Yuuri blinked. Then he blinked again. Viktor closed his eyes and felt more tears flowing down his cheeks.

“For company?” Yuuri said, but hesitated.

“Do you think that’s it?” Viktor asked and opened his eyes again. “Do you honestly think that alphas want omegas to be their companions?”

Yuuri nodded.

“You should ask that friend of yours,” Viktor said. “I’m sure he’ll tell you why omegas are desired.”

Viktor found it very hard to believe that Yuuri would be naïve enough to honestly think that there was nothing more than the desire to companionship behind alphas being after omegas. Maybe this was one of his tricks to make Viktor trust him more, but it had backfired. Viktor wasn’t sure he had made the right decision staying. If Yuuri was willing to lie so blatantly right into his face, he would most likely not be safe.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said carefully. “Why do alphas want omegas? In your opinion?”

Viktor laughed bitterly.

“Stop pretending you don’t know,” he said and wiped his eyes with his fists.

“Tell me your point of view,” Yuuri said.

Viktor sniffed at his request. All along this had been a ploy to make him talk about his previous life. Well, he was smarter than this. He knew to keep his mouth shut, because even though Yuuri had told him there were laws against abuse on omegas, how did he know that he wouldn’t be taken back to his hometown if he was found out? He wasn’t supposed to be in this sunny city at all. He didn’t belong in the heat and light, and he missed snow and the darkness of winter nights that was illuminated by the stars reflecting on snow. While he didn’t miss his parents or the person he used to call his Master, he missed Yakov’s kindness when he was feeling down or had been beaten so hard that his buttocks were bruised and it hurt to sit down, and he missed the way Yuri had immediately attached to him after he arrived.

But then, Viktor could never think about the good memories without the bad spilling over, and Yuri’s innocent face twisted in pain and Viktor thought about the screams he had heard when their master had used him for the first time. His rut had been coming up, and he wanted to make sure that Yuri’s first time wouldn’t land on when he was out of control, but it didn’t change the fact that Yuri was so small and scared after having stayed there for just a few weeks, parents having sold him to start a better life somewhere far away, just like Viktor’s own parents had done a decade earlier. Viktor very clearly remembered how the alpha had left afterwards, and Viktor had sneaked into the bedroom. Yuri was crying inconsolably, tears and snot running down his face and his hair was a mess but not as much as his body. Viktor had taken him to a bath, remembering his first time when he was bleeding too and there was no one to take care of him.

When the alpha returned home, Yuri had been asleep in the omegas’ shared bed, and Viktor had been caned for running a bath without a permission. He hadn’t been caned in a long time, and he had cried, and the welts on his skin had taken a long time to heal. He didn’t know if they had left scars behind, and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to know either. He could have asked Yuri, but it felt wrong to show the little one such brutal evidence on his skin, and if Yuri had ever seen them afterwards, he had kept his mouth shut.

That night Viktor had sneaked out and went over to Yakov to cry. The man had always been good to him, and Viktor told him everything that he had kept bottled up inside himself, and that was the first time Yakov had suggested that maybe there was a way out. Maybe they could get away before something worse happened to Yuri. Maybe Yuri didn’t have to have his skin scarred for life.

Viktor found himself clutching his left arm, knuckles white as he unconsciously tried to hide the scar on his skin. Yuuri looked worried, he looked like he wanted to reach out and touch, but didn’t dare, and Viktor thought that was good. He had kept his nails sharp, and he could hurt the alpha seriously if he needed to. It was good to be afraid.

“Whatever happened to you in the past,” Yuuri said slowly and clearly, as if Viktor wasn’t in the right state of mind to fully understand, “will never happen to you again.”

Viktor saw how Yuuri glanced at his arm.

“I know you don’t trust me,” Yuuri said, and Viktor wanted to sneer at him. “I don’t blame you for it, Viktor. Someone must have hurt you badly. But I will never ever hurt you like that.”

Viktor wanted to laugh, but instead he burst to tears again. He blamed it on having thought about the bad memories. Yuuri’s sincere voice had nothing to do with his emotional state. Yuuri’s soft gaze and earnest words had absolutely nothing to do with his tears.

“I wish I knew what happened, Viktor,” Yuuri said. “I wish I could take away your pain.”

Very slowly Yuuri reached out and stroked his fingertips over Viktor’s right arm. Viktor didn’t jerk his arm away, and he blamed that on Yuuri having scented him. It was because Yuuri had assaulted him and made him depend on him. It had nothing to do with the throb in Viktor’s chest, nothing to do with the glimmer of hope at the back of his mind.

“Do you want to sit down again?” Yuuri asked. “Or do you want to go see the house?”

Viktor sniffled and thought. He wanted to sit down on the sofa with Yuuri and feel the alpha’s presence next to him as the warmth he was radiating. He wanted to lean against him and let his hair cover his face and pretend that the rest of the world wasn’t there. He wanted Yuuri to stroke his hair and back and make him feel whole again.

“I’d like to see the house,” he said.

His thoughts were getting dangerous. He would have to make sure to keep his emotions under control when he was around the alpha, so he wouldn’t give in to these so-called needs. He didn’t _need_ to be close to an alpha, even if it was the alpha who had scented him. No, there was no bond between them, and that was good. It was convenient. Yes.

Yuuri looked at him like he might change his mind, but Viktor merely wiped his face with his hands and tried to smile. The alpha seemed satisfied with it, and turned to the backdoor of the room.

“Let’s go see the servants’ wing first,” he said, and led Viktor out of the parlour.

*

Yuuri’s tour had ended in the library, and by that time Viktor felt like his head was more of a mess than it had been while he was ill. He had strategically announced retiring to his room to rest in a way that turned it into a request for permission just in case, and he left Yuuri to the library and made his way towards his room. If the library wasn’t so close to the bedrooms, he would have had to ask Yuuri to show him the way, but he was happy to know it on his own. It made him feel just a bit more capable.

Viktor opened the door to his room and stopped. It looked like the room Yuuri had given him, but the bed was beautifully made. Viktor slowly approached the closet and opened the doors to reveal that it was empty. Had he gotten the wrong room after all? He went back to the hallway and walked over to the next door. It had carved roses on it, so it must have been Yuuri’s room. Viktor returned to his room that had been mysteriously reverted to its original state.

A feeling rose into his chest, but he couldn’t quite differentiate what feeling it was. He hated the room, and went back to the hallway, slamming the door shut behind him. He stood there by the door, staring at the floor for a long time. His face was burning. He wanted nothing more than a place to call his own so he could crawl in and calm down. He hadn’t had a place like that in years. Was he doomed to never having one again? Maybe he had been so wicked in his life that this was his punishment. Maybe he had been wrong to run away and take Yuri with him. Maybe he had been wrong to leave Yuri on his own devices when the omega was only 13. Maybe he had been wrong to do it again now. Maybe he was selfish and thoughtless like the master had told him countless times. How did he know who was right and who was wrong, when the world offered so many possibilities?

Slowly Viktor made his way to the library, head hanging low and hair restricting his view to his sides. At times, he had walked around the city in the same way, on the days when everything seemed meaningless and he didn’t care if someone was to attack him and end his life in freedom.

He stopped at the library door, hesitating before going in and facing Yuuri, who turned his head up from the book he was reading the moment Viktor stepped inside.

“Viktor?” Yuuri asked. “Didn’t you want to go to rest?”

“Why has someone been in my room?” Viktor asked the floor quietly. “You said it’s my room. Did you not mean it?”

Yuuri put the book away, down on the table next to the chair where he was seated. He got up and walked over to Viktor. Viktor didn’t look at him.

“Is it not my room?” Viktor asked, voice merely a whisper.

“Yes, it is,” Yuuri said. “It’s your room, Viktor. It’s yours alone.”

“Then why?” Viktor asked and sniffled, although he was not tearful.

“Why?” Yuuri asked in return, clearly not understanding what Viktor meant, and it was infuriating to know that the alpha didn’t understand him. “The cleaner has been in to clean up.”

“I don’t like it,” Viktor said much louder, and he caught Yuuri blinking fast.

“But it’s their job,” Yuuri said. “They come in and make the room nice again.”

“I don’t want that,” Viktor said. “I hate it!”

He was frowning when he finally looked at Yuuri’s face.

“It’s what they’re supposed to do,” Yuuri said. “If you don’t like it, I’ll tell them to not go in unless you ask them to.”

Suddenly the anger Viktor had felt was replaced by fear. Was he being an inconvenience? If he kept up his selfish behaviour, surely Yuuri would get tired of him and throw him out. He should work harder to get accustomed to living with Yuuri instead of causing trouble.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said just when Viktor thought he would tell the alpha to forget about it. “I didn’t realise it might make you feel uncomfortable. I’m so used to living in a certain way that I sometimes forget that not everyone else is the same.”

Yuuri cupped his face with one hand. It was a quick touch, a warm touch, and it made Viktor’s heart skip a beat. He searched Yuuri’s face for any signs of disappointment or irritation, but could find none. Instead Yuuri’s gaze on him was soft and caring, and he didn’t understand it.

“Why do you care about me?” he asked.

The alpha blushed. That was another thing Viktor continued to find curious about Yuuri: how he would get flustered in front of an omega.

“I don’t know,” Yuuri said. “I just do.”

A part of Viktor hoped that Yuuri would say something that he could fully understand. “Because you’ll make a pretty penny in the omega market,” or “I want to use you to satisfy me during my ruts.” Instead he got these vague answers that you would usually say to someone of romantic interest and he didn’t understand it.

“Let me walk you back to your room,” Yuuri said and smiled.

“You shouldn’t,” Viktor replied, glancing at the book Yuuri had put down.

“Does that mean that you don’t want me to?” Yuuri asked. “Or you think that I have more important things to do?”

Viktor turned his eyes to Yuuri again. The alpha was still smiling.

“You were reading,” Viktor mumbled and looked down.

Yuuri laughed good-naturedly.

“I can read any time,” he said.

Yuuri gently pushed Viktor to turn around and guided him out of the library. His hand stroked down the length of Viktor’s arm and he took a gentle hold of Viktor’s hand after he reached it. Viktor held his hand back. It made his chest feel warm in a way he had never experienced before.

When they arrived to the right door, Viktor wished that it would have been a longer way. Yuuri turned to smile at him.

“Here we are,” the alpha said.

Viktor’s heart was beating erratically, and he swallowed.

“Will you,” he asked quietly. “Would you come in?”

Yuuri’s face was shining with happiness, and Viktor couldn’t look at it. The alpha opened the door and nudged at Viktor to go in first. The door closed behind them, and Viktor slowly guided Yuuri to his bed. They sat down, still holding hands, and Viktor wondered why it felt so right. It should have made him panic, but instead he felt a calm he hadn’t felt before. It was similar to the feeling he had gotten when Yuuri was breathing in his scent, except this time it didn’t scare him so. He was getting used to many things that he hadn’t wanted to get used to. He wasn’t sure if it was good. It might end with him getting in bad trouble if he let his guard down too much.

But Yuuri smelled so irresistible. Viktor found himself leaning closer, eyes focused on the alpha’s neck.

“Why is your scent gland so red?” he asked.

Yuuri lifted his free hand to his neck and blushed.

“I chafed it somewhere,” he answered, and Viktor knew it wasn’t the whole truth.

He didn’t push it further. He didn’t really need to know. Yuuri let his hand fall back to his lap. Viktor leaned closer and closer until his nose was hovering right above the alpha’s neck. He breathed in the mellow scent. It was completely different from _that man’_ s scent, and Viktor pressed his nose against the gland. Yuuri turned his head to allow him more space, and Viktor’s heart stuttered at the thought of the alpha showing such submission to an omega. Yuuri’s scent was getting stronger, and Viktor wanted to breathe it all in. It spread around his body, warming him up, and he pressed his face closer. Yuuri gasped and squeezed his hand. They were surrounded by the alpha’s scent, the air swirling with it, and Viktor was breathing heavily, nuzzling his nose against the scent gland. He had never thought he could enjoy someone’s scent like that.

With his free hand Viktor reached to his collar and opened it with little effort. The collar dropped heavily on the floor, and he heard Yuuri gasp before the alpha’s face was pressing against his neck. Viktor shivered when his scent started taking over the air around them, it was pouring out of his glands generously. Yuuri’s free hand lifted to his hair and pushed it behind his ear before stroking down his neck and to his free scent gland. Viktor giggled quietly as Yuuri’s fingers stroked over the gland, causing his scent to peak.

Viktor pulled away from Yuuri’s touch to look at his face. The alpha looked almost enchanted, eyes heavily lidded and mouth closed loosely, nostrils flaring as he took in the scent that was whirling around them. Very slowly Viktor leaned in again, but this time he aimed his neck to Yuuri’s. The alpha squeezed his hand, and Viktor wondered if it was hard for him to allow an omega to take over like this, if it was something he was supposed to stop doing, but then their scent glands touched, and his thoughts went blank.

Viktor remembered being scented by _that man_ , he remembered how it left him light-headed and smiling, but the process had never made him feel such pleasure he now felt. Warmth surged through his body, all the way to the tips of his toes and fingers, and it was heavy in his gut. The air around them felt electric, and he grasped at Yuuri’s head with his free hand, fingers digging in to the hair and it was soft and perfect. He closed his eyes and breathed in their mingled scents, focused on the way Yuuri’s neck rubbed against him and how the alpha stroked his hair. He felt like Yuuri’s touch was all over his body, like a wide lick that pushed past his skin, and he pulled the alpha against him, closer, closer.

“Viktor,” Yuuri gasped.

His hand found its way to Viktor’s back, to his lower back, and his touch was hot and heavy and pressed their bodies closer together. His fingers massaged their way to Viktor’s hip, and he placed his hand there, firm and safe, and Viktor rubbed their necks together and whined. He didn’t understand the feeling, but his mind didn’t care; it had wandered off to leave his body open for the pleasure he felt, and he sure felt it. It was an intense burn warming his lower belly, and he related that feeling to when he was touched while in heat, but it never felt quite the same as this.

Time had lost meaning, and Viktor didn’t know how long it took before his body started to react in ways that scared him enough to pull away from Yuuri. The throbbing in his groin reminded him of _that man_ and his touch, and he felt sick thinking about it. He was afraid that Yuuri could smell his arousal, that Yuuri would do what alphas do when they meet an omega in need. His hands were shaking and he turned to look for his collar. How stupid had he been, taking it off in the first place! His heart was racing and he felt like it would shatter his bones with the vibrations.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said and placed a hand on his knee. “Calm down. It’s okay.”

Viktor pulled his leg away, but the ghost of Yuuri’s touch remained. He was ready to go into full-blown panic, when the alpha bent down and picked up the leather collar from the floor before fitting it against Viktor’s neck and buckling it safely. While their scents remained in the air, Viktor’s scent immediately turned more subdued. That didn’t change the fact that his erection was weighing heavily against his thigh, and he lifted his feet up on the bed to hide his predicament.

“Don’t be afraid,” Yuuri said.

The alpha looked big and scary, and Viktor wanted him to leave. He couldn’t bring himself to say so, however. This was his own fault. He had invited Yuuri to his room and he had taken off his own collar and scented the alpha – or more like scented himself on the alpha. It was only natural that now Yuuri would take what belonged to him.

“Viktor, I don’t ever want you to be afraid,” Yuuri said. “I’ll be in the library for now if you need me. I’ll come see you when I’m done there. If you want to see me too.”

Yuuri stroked Viktor’s hair for one last time before standing up and walking over to the door.

“See you later,” Yuuri said before opening the door and leaving.

Viktor sat perfectly still and tried to listen to the alpha’s footsteps. He couldn’t hear them. He sensed Yuuri’s scent fading. Then he suddenly jumped up from the bed and ran to the door. He opened it and looked out to the hallway, where Yuuri was making his way towards the library.

“I want to see you too!” he called out.

Yuuri turned to look at him and smiled. Then he waved, and Viktor returned to his room with his cheeks and ears burning. With a smile on his lips he reconstructed his nest in the closet and climbed in. He found that the beddings had a faint scent of Yuuri on them. He closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander away, trying his best to ignore the way his cock twitched when he thought about Yuuri.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably should have held onto this chapter for a day longer but whatever, the best time to update is late in the evening when I'm too sleepy to read properly!
> 
> Also I've made some minor edits to the previous chapters, mostly just different wordings or fixed mistakes, but I also changed the Slavic region to northern region to disconnect this world from our world.


	6. Chapter 6

After Yuuri returned to the library, he rang for a servant and sat down on his chair. He didn’t pick up the book yet, knowing that he was going to be interrupted very soon, and simply sat there smiling at the ceiling while thinking about how boldly Viktor had advanced on him. He wanted to believe that there was a connection between them, but it was too early to go that far. He would have to remember to keep his head cool and give Viktor all the space he needed.

The door opened, and Yuuri turned to look at Emil, whose face was flushed.

“Did you run here?” he asked, perking up in his chair.

“You don’t often call,” the beta explained, clearly out of breath but doing his best to sound dignified. “I thought it was certainly important.”

Yuuri nodded. It was true that he didn’t often call for help. No matter what Viktor thought, he hadn’t been lying when he said he wasn’t good at telling people what to do. Sometimes it came naturally with the situation, but afterwards he was always filled with dread that he was abusing his power and working his staff too hard.

“Did you clean up Viktor’s room today?” he asked, diverting himself back to the real subject at hand.

“Yes, I did,” Emil said and stepped closer. “Was my work not satisfactory?”

Yuuri shook his head.

“It seemed perfectly fine for me,” he said. “I need to ask, what exactly did you clean up in there?”

Emil blinked rapidly a couple of times. He looked slightly uncertain.

“I made his bed,” he then said.

“But was there anything unusual about it?” Yuuri asked.

“Well, the omega had taken off all the beddings and put them in the closet,” Emil replied.

“I see,” Yuuri said and stifled the smile that tried to climb his lips.

“Did I make a mistake?” Emil asked.

“No,” Yuuri said. “Well, I suppose you did, but you didn’t know. I didn’t know either.”

Emil nodded seriously.

“For now it’s better to leave Viktor’s room alone,” Yuuri said. “He needs to feel secure, and it upset him to know that someone else had been in his room.”

“I understand,” Emil said.

“Make sure everyone knows,” Yuuri said. “Especially after my parents return and all their servants come back. I don’t want anyone in Viktor’s room unless he asks for it.”

“I’ll let everyone know,” Emil said and bowed.

“Emil,” Yuuri said, and the beta turned to look at him again. “If you were so used to being abused that you always expected it from people, what would make you feel better in a new environment?”

The beta looked at him thoughtfully.

“It’s hard to say,” he responded slowly. “I think giving him space will be good. And consistency.”

“So if I say something I need to remember to stick to it,” Yuuri said and nodded to himself.

“You shouldn’t have a problem with that,” Emil said with a wink.

“I hope so,” Yuuri replied but smiled.

“I’ll personally make sure every member of the personnel will know to treat him carefully,” Emil said.

“Thank you,” Yuuri said. “How are you getting along with your personal project?”

Emil laughed.

“It’s harder than I thought,” he replied. “Some people are just so thick-headed.”

“I’m sure you’ll get through to him eventually,” Yuuri said. “Although I do know that he’s sometimes painfully literal.”

“You don’t have to tell me about that,” Emil said with a chuckle. “Was there anything else you wanted?”

“No,” Yuuri said. “After everyone returns, keep a bit of an eye on Viktor, will you? I don’t want him to feel at unease in case he can’t remember where everything is. Tell Michele he’s in charge of that too, and please, remind him to be discreet.”

Emil burst to laughter.

“I’ll make sure to really underline that detail,” he said. “If that’s all, I’ll be off.”

Yuuri nodded, and the beta left. The library felt almost too quiet after his smile was gone, and Yuuri picked up the book he had been reading. It was a study on omega behaviour, and he was hopeful that it would help him understand Viktor better, although he was certain that the best way to understand the omega was to listen to everything he had to say.

With a sigh Yuuri closed the book before reading a word of it. Listening to Viktor would be much easier if the omega was ever talking about himself, but so far Yuuri had gathered very few details on the omega’s life before they met. He didn’t know much about the northern region’s customs or laws in regards to omegas. Viktor wasn’t very young, but Yuri was much younger than him. Was it even possible for them to have been owned by the same alpha? Yuuri didn’t know if they had left together or if they had met while they were both running away, but their bond was strong.

Yuuri bit his lip and got up from the chair, walking over to the door to ring for a servant again. He felt bad for doing so immediately after sending Emil away, and remained by the door until the beta burst back into the room.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said first. “I need a bit more help.”

It was good that Emil was in charge at that moment. Michele wouldn’t have been the right person for this task. Michele was efficient and got quick results, but he wasn’t always very discreet about things, and it was of utmost importance that nobody found out about this. Emil was more laid back, not exactly slow, but not always very punctual. However, he was good at keeping his mouth shut about certain things. Yuuri explained to him what he needed, and Emil assured him that he would immediately get to work after Yuuri told him it was fine for him to leave the house.

This time, when Yuuri returned to his chair and opened the book, he got some reading done.

*

Yuuri knocked on Viktor’s door. There was no answer. He wondered if the omega would resent him if he went in either way.

“Viktor?” he called out. “Are you there?”

He listened carefully, already wondering if the omega was asleep, when he heard a faint answer:

“Yes.”

Yuuri smiled.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

He waited again. It must have been difficult on Viktor to decide whether to trust him or not, and he continued to smile as the silence continued.

“Yes,” Viktor eventually replied.

Yuuri opened the door carefully to not appear too eager and scare the omega. He peeked in the room. Viktor was sitting on the bed and leaning on the windowsill, looking out to the garden. The bed had been stripped bare. Yuuri glanced to the closet, but it was securely closed.

Slowly Yuuri stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Viktor wasn’t looking at him. He was leaning on his arms, slumping against the windowsill, hair curtaining his body.

“Do you like the view?” Yuuri asked.

“Hmm,” Viktor replied, and Yuuri wasn’t sure if it was a yes or a no.

He stepped closer, but Viktor didn’t react. He walked up to the bed, then to the window. He looked out as well. The garden was looking good in spite of the heat wave that had been trying the city for almost a week. The gardeners must have been working hard to make sure all the bushes kept their green colour and stood upright instead of slumping.

“If you like gardens, I can take you up to the castle,” Yuuri said. “That garden is truly remarkable."

“I like this garden,” Viktor said quietly.

Yuuri looked at him. Viktor didn’t have any particular look on his face, but his eyes seemed sad. His cheek looked soft, pressed against his arm, and Yuuri wanted to touch him, but restrained himself. Instead he looked back out.

“Did you use to have a garden?” he asked. “Back when you still lived with… well, when you still lived with an alpha?”

“No,” Viktor said.

Yuuri’s heart stuttered when he realised that Viktor had actually told him something about his past.

“I…” Viktor then continued. “I knew someone who had a nice garden. I liked it.”

“Did they grow lots of flowers?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor nodded, cheek squishing more against his arms.

“His flowers were beautiful,” he said. “But maybe I only liked them because we didn’t have flowers.”

“Did you want flowers too?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor looked out thoughtfully.

“I liked the apple tree’s flowers,” he then said. “But I guess the potato flowers were nice too.”

“You had potatoes?” Yuuri asked. “So you had some kind of a garden?”

“It was just for food,” Viktor said and went quiet.

Yuuri wanted to keep asking him questions, but didn’t want to go too far. He hated how difficult it was to tell where the line was with Viktor.

“Thank you for telling me,” he said instead.

Viktor turned to look at him, not lifting his head.

“I keep waiting for you to hurt me,” he said. “What are you hiding?”

Yuuri accidentally bit his lip so hard that he squeaked and lifted a hand to his mouth. Viktor surely had a way of surprising him.

“If you’re referring to my intentions with you,” Yuuri said, trying to sound calm, “I’m not hiding anything.”

Viktor’s face didn’t reveal anything about his thoughts, and Yuuri should have been used to it by now, but it bothered him.

“I have been honest with you about everything,” Yuuri said.

“Yeah?” Viktor asked, and Yuuri just knew that the omega was about to ask something that would throw him off balance. “What about your past experiences with omegas? You never told me properly.”

Yuuri wanted to respond with something like: “You never told me about your past either so we’re even,” but that would have been childish and rude. His face was burning, and he wondered if Viktor would distrust him more if he was honest and told him everything.

“I don’t like talking about it,” he said.

Viktor sniffed and turned his eyes to the window.

“Are you sure you want to know?” Yuuri asked.

If he really wanted Viktor, he would have to throw himself out there. Viktor needed space and consistency, but he also clearly needed honesty. If Yuuri’s past experiences with omegas was something that Viktor wanted to hear about, he would tell him.

“How did you figure out you have a problem?” Viktor asked instead of answering Yuuri’s question.

Yuuri sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, back to Viktor. He had never talked to anyone in detail about those things, and he hadn’t planned on ever talking about them. The people who needed to know already knew after either witnessing it for themselves of having heard from someone who had been present.

“On one birthday after I had presented as an alpha, I received an omega from a family friend,” he said, head bent down. “I was told to enter a room, and I did, and there the omega was. The door had hardly closed behind, when the scent hit me, and I…”

Yuuri licked his lips. His voice was wavering, and he wished that he didn’t have to go through this.

“I can’t remember,” he said. “When they heard the screams and came in, I was tearing off his clothes and he couldn’t push me away.”

Yuuri heard Viktor stir.

“It took three adult alphas to make me stop trying to,” Yuuri said and swallowed, “to…”

Yuuri turned his head to look at Viktor form the corner of his eye. He saw that the omega was watching him. He bit his lip before forcing the rest of the sentence out.

“I tried to rape him.”

Yuuri madly felt like the words were echoing in the room, although he knew it wasn’t possible. He felt like he had yelled, although he was almost certain that his voice had been reduced to a whisper.

“How old were you?” Viktor asked.

His voice didn’t hint to any emotions, and it unnerved Yuuri.

“I was fifteen,” he said. “I started coming back to my senses after the omega left. I just remember being held back by all these adults and my mother had on this face of disappointment, and I wasn’t even sure why before they told me.”

The heat from Yuuri’s face had spread to his ears as well, and he wondered if he was glowing red. He thought about the shame of facing his mother and all the other important people with a full erection poking from underneath his shirt because he had apparently started by taking off his own pants. He told Viktor this, voice not louder than a whisper, partly hoping that the omega couldn’t hear him.

“What happened to the omega?” Viktor asked.

“Obviously, we couldn’t keep him around,” Yuuri said. “I did meet him once more, but he was collared to keep his scent away and I had several alphas with me just in case, and I apologised to him profusely. We sent him to live in the castle. Phichit helped him find a new home.”

Viktor shuddered, but Yuuri was too ashamed of himself to ask what had caused it. He wouldn’t need to ask after having just revealed what a low person he was.

“Was that the only time?” Viktor then asked.

Yuuri squeezed his eyes shut. He had so hoped that Viktor would be done with the topic.

“No,” he replied before opening his eyes and turning to glance at Viktor.

The omega was watching him with his lower lip sucked into his mouth. Yuuri turned away again.

“My father insisted on seeing if it was just a one-time thing,” Yuuri said. “So they brought in an omega and took me to him without telling me beforehand.”

Yuuri went quiet in the hopes that Viktor would let him drop the subject there.

“What happened?” Viktor asked, when Yuuri stayed quiet.

“I wasn’t even properly in the room when his scent hit me and I ran up to him,” he said. “I just remember seeing someone I don’t know, and the next thing I know I was on the floor and being held down by several adults.”

“How far did you go?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri’s lip was trembling and he bit it so hard that it still stung when he continued talking.

“I took off my pants again,” he said. “I tried to get to him, but they caught me before that could happen.”

Viktor hummed, and Yuuri hoped that the talk was over. He knew it wasn’t, but that didn’t stop him from hoping.

“Why are you so ashamed?” Viktor asked. “Is it because what you did was wrong? Or because you exposed yourself to so many people?”

Yuuri had not expected the question. He squeezed his hands together and watched how his knuckles went white.

“I don’t know what you think of me,” he said. “But Viktor, I do know how wrong it is to attack someone, alpha or omega. I wish I could stop it from happening.”

“But it’s also because some very important people saw your dick?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri’s cheeks were burning in embarrassment.

“And that was it?” Viktor asked. “Did they stop bringing omegas in to see if you’d assault them?”

“Since then it has been a rule that if an omega visits, they have to be collared,” Yuuri said. “Metal collars are best for keeping the scent away. I guess that’s why Michele and Takeshi put one on you too.”

“You took off my collar,” Viktor suddenly said.

Yuuri flinched. He couldn’t turn around. He didn’t want to see the look on Viktor’s face.

“I didn’t want to,” he said. “You insisted.”

“You could have raped me!” Viktor yelled.

Yuuri bent his head down. He knew that Viktor was right. The omega didn’t even know that Takeshi had warned him beforehand about his strong scent. Yuuri had known the danger, yet he had still done it.

“I’m sorry, Viktor,” Yuuri said sadly.

“You knew that could happen – no, you knew that it would happen – and you still took my collar off!” Viktor shouted.

Yuuri had nothing to say to that. Viktor was right, and very lucky that Yuuri had only scented him. There was no excuse for his actions, because even if he had been thinking it was the best for Viktor when the omega was in such distress, he had still known about his own condition.

Tears blurred Yuuri’s vision, and he tried blinking them away. He couldn’t cry in front of Viktor; he couldn’t make the omega think that he was trying to gain his sympathy to seem less of an asshole. Now that he thought about it, he should have simply ignored Viktor’s pleads and gotten someone else to help with the collar. He should have been able to keep a level head and not forget that he was a real danger to omegas. He knew that so painfully well.

“I’m sorry, Viktor,” he repeated, realising too late that his voice revealed that he was crying.

He heard the omega get up from the bed. Surely Viktor was going to leave now and would never return. He had ruined everything on only the second day after meeting Viktor.

“You’re really crying,” Viktor stated.

Yuuri looked at his toes before slowly lifting his head up and looking at the omega who was standing before him with his arms crossed.

“Why did you do it?” the omega asked. “How did you justify it?”

Yuuri blinked a few times in wonder. He felt more tears slide down his cheeks.

“You were so desperate,” he said. “When I… You don’t know how terrible it looked when I walked in and it looked like there was blood everywhere. And even if it was just small cuts, the collar was smeared with blood and you were crying and begging me to take it off. And I… I promise that I tried to leave and tell you no, but you wouldn’t let me go and I couldn’t take it. Viktor, I just couldn’t take seeing you like that.”

Viktor looked down at him with a passive face, and Yuuri thought that maybe the omega would leave now that he had gotten an answer.

“I know it doesn’t change anything,” Yuuri said. “I know I shouldn’t have done it anyway.”

 “How do you know it always happens with omegas?” Viktor asked. “Were there more times?”

Yuuri wiped his cheeks dry. His tears had, thankfully, stopped running.

“Once when I was out with Phichit,” he said, voice thick. “Someone was there with an omega. But Phichit always has so many guards escorting him that I didn’t get far.”

Viktor regarded him quietly for a while before asking:

“Did you take your pants off?”

Yuuri flinched at the question and looked down. He wasn’t sure he had ever been as ashamed as he was right now.

“I did,” he choked out. “I exposed myself in public.”

He couldn’t look at Viktor again. He had been lucky that there weren’t many people around back then, and the secret had been quite well preserved, but it still burnt his mind at times when he thought about lying on the ground in the city with his groin exposed to the sun and the prying eyes.

“How come it doesn’t happen more often?” Viktor then asked. “There are plenty of omegas around.”

Yuuri forced himself to look up again.

“It only happens with unclaimed omegas,” he said.

“Oh,” was all Viktor said.

The omega uncrossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. Yuuri wanted to ask him about his reaction, but he was too afraid of having to talk more about his shameful secrets. Instead he watched how Viktor thought.

“Do you know that for certain?” Viktor asked. “You should have said so earlier.”

Yuuri blinked a few times. He wasn’t following Viktor at all.

“Don’t you think that you can control yourself around me because I have been claimed?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri looked at Viktor with horror on his face.

“What?” he asked too sharply. “But you… You don’t have a claim mark!”

“Do you seriously think that I lived with an alpha for years and he never had sex with me?” Viktor asked. “I don’t know if you’re stupid of simply naïve.”

“You have been…”

“Yes, Yuuri,” Viktor said and rolled his eyes. “I have been knotted several times. I have been scented several times. I have been claimed for years and years by an alpha.”

“But there’s no mark on you,” Yuuri tried weakly.

“He didn’t want to scar my neck because people can see,” Viktor said emotionless. “I was an exhibition piece to the outer world. I was his doll and I had to look impeccable. An ugly claim mark would take away my beauty.”

Yuuri felt like the sky had suddenly fallen on him and was now pressing all the air out of his body. He kept staring at Viktor’s face. The omega stared back. Yuuri turned his face down to look at the scar on Viktor’s arm. He thought about Viktor naked on the day they had met. Had there been other marks on him? Had there been marks that would count as claim marks?

“I scented someone’s claimed omega,” Yuuri said.

He felt like his guts had been filled with ice. He had assumed that even though Viktor had been scented, he hadn’t been claimed. Now that he thought about it, he had been stupid to think that. He should have made sure. He should have… He should never have taken off Viktor’s collar and scented him.

“I don’t belong to anyone,” Viktor said.

Yuuri looked up again.

“I don’t belong to him,” Viktor said. “And I don’t belong to you.”

Yuuri felt like he might cry again. He stood up, much to Viktor’s surprise.

“I need to think,” he mumbled to himself and headed to the door, but Viktor stopped him.

The omega held onto his arm.

“Yuuri,” he said, and Yuuri felt nothing but happiness hearing his name on the omega’s lips. “You can’t send me back to him. You can’t!”

Yuuri looked into Viktor’s desperate eyes.

“Did he cause that scar on your arm?” he asked.

Viktor flinched and frowned, looked to the side. His hair was shielding his face from view.

“Yes,” Viktor whispered.

“Then I will make sure that you will never have to see that man again,” Yuuri said, and he meant it.

Viktor’s hand was shaking and his hold on Yuuri’s arm was loosening.

“Viktor, what did he do to you?” Yuuri asked, knowing full well that Viktor wouldn’t tell him.

Viktor glanced at him, and he saw that the omega was biting his lip. Then Viktor let go of his arm.

“I’ll go get you a change of clothes,” Yuuri said.

Viktor looked at him with a confused frown, but didn’t stop him this time, and Yuuri walked out of the room. He headed towards the storage and wondered how it was possible for Viktor to hate the alpha he was bonded with.

*

Emil returned later that day, and Yuuri guided him to the library.

“It was quite easy to find legislations,” Emil began and presented Yuuri with a couple of smallish books. “I also found something that might interest you.”

The beta handed Yuuri an official note of missing omegas. Then he handed over another paper.

“This was the attachment,” he said.

Yuuri was staring at drawings of both Viktor and Yuri, although Yuri looked considerably younger and had short hair. Viktor, on the other hand, hadn’t changed much from when the picture had been drawn.

“I asked around and I’ll check back tomorrow to find out if there’s anything else that I can get without having to leave myself,” Emil said.

“Thank you,” Yuuri said faintly.

The beta left after making sure it was fine, and Yuuri slumped into a chair. He was holding the picture of Viktor and Yuri in his hand, the paper crumbling in his hold. He felt sick and had to close his eyes to focus on breathing. He had already seen the date on the papers, and it was nearly four years ago. This wasn’t a legal issue for him anymore. It was too old. It was okay.

Of course, Yuuri had already known that Viktor and Yuri were runaways, but seeing it on paper was completely different from guessing. The alpha opened his eyes and looked at the two omegas. Viktor looked less tired and his face was rounder. He was wearing clothing typical to the northern region with small fur trimmings to show off wealth. However, if Viktor’s previous owner had been truly wealthy, he would have dressed his omegas in full fur coats and big jewellery. Yuuri had seen how the northern region’s wealthiest men dressed their omegas when he had travelled with his family. Viktor and Yuri’s owner was probably middle-class, but overdressed his omegas to appear wealthier. Their jewellery was small in size, but intricate enough to cost quite a sum. Viktor’s hair had been carefully brushed, and there were a few small pleats tied with hair jewellery. Yuri’s hair was too short for such hairdos, but it had been brushed neatly. Yuuri could see why Viktor had been so touched by Yuri’s appearance after the bath – the young omega had resembled his younger self.

Yuuri was almost certain that the alpha had used painted portraits of his omegas as basis for these drawings, as the attention to detail was unusual compared to some of the notices Yuuri had seen in his life. Sometimes the resemblance was way off and you could guess that an alpha had tried to describe his omega without much success.

The first page of the note had written descriptions of the two omegas, but Yuuri was much more interested in the names on the paper; the two omegas were Viktor Nikiforov and Yuri Plisetsky. However, Yuuri eyes were quickly drawn to the contact information of their owner: Eduard Daniil Volkov. He would have to find out who the man was. He would put Emil on it once his parents had arrived and his personal servants didn’t have to work so hard to take care of his needs.

Next Yuuri focused on the books Emil had brought back. They were both about northern legislations, one of them focusing on the omega laws. Yuuri opened the one about omega laws and started the tiresome task of reading legislative text. His head was spinning with Emil’s finds, making it even harder to focus on what he was reading.

From what Yuuri had assumed about Viktor’s past he would have imagined that the northern laws would be slack, but they seemed to be similar to the laws of his region. A lot of it boiled down to whether he believed what Viktor told him. He wondered if what he assumed had been horrible abuse had been something different after all. What was the full story of Viktor’s scar? Why was he so hostile to alphas? Could it be that Takeshi had been right, that Viktor had simply ran away for excitement?

Yuuri sighed and put the book down. He was suddenly feeling very tired.

It had hardly been a week since he had first met Viktor. He thought about the omega, dirty and skinny, naked on the floor and trying his hardest to run. He had met many runaway omegas before, some of them worse off than Viktor, and he knew what pity felt like. What he had felt when he looked at Viktor was something different, something stronger. Maybe someone would say it was his alpha nature feeling the need to own the omega before him, but he wasn’t ready to think that.

Yuuri didn’t know how he felt about omegas. His family had never had omegas, although he wasn’t sure why. He was given one for his birthday – how had he felt then? He hadn’t really thought about it, because the discovery of his condition had overshadowed everything else, but how had he felt about the omega? Did he think about him as a thing or as a person? When he was told that he could possibly never own an omega, how had it make him feel?

Yuuri rubbed his eyes. He didn’t like how hard it was to answer these questions that he had never bothered to ask himself. Why hadn’t he thought about it before – but more importantly – why did he suddenly feel the need to think about it? There was something about Viktor that changed the way he thought. Something about Viktor that made him feel bad for never having considered the humanity of the omega who showed up when he needed sexual release during his ruts. Something about Viktor made him want to open his eyes and look at how faulty the system of omegas as property was.

Yuuri glanced at the paper with Viktor’s face on it. Viktor was an omega. Viktor had been someone’s property, and Viktor was an outlaw. But Viktor was so many more things. He was interesting and powerful, he had that air about him that made Yuuri want to stay around him. Sure, he was also beautiful, gorgeous with his long silver hair and eyelashes that framed his deep blue eyes, but it was more meaningful than that.

If this was only the alpha in Yuuri wanting to protect an omega, wouldn’t he have felt the same with the others too? Wouldn’t he have wanted to keep them around instead of finding them good homes somewhere else? Why was Viktor so different?

Yuuri looked at his arm. The scabby scratches were turning into scars, and eventually they too would fade away. He didn’t want Viktor to be like that, he didn’t want to let the omega ever go. He knew very little about Viktor, yet he was certain that he wanted Viktor to always stay with him.

Viktor was bonded. He had been claimed by his previous alpha. And if that was the case, why had Yuuri felt the immense need to scent him? He had been around claimed omegas, and even the sight of a claim mark on an omega’s neck made him turn away. How come it hadn’t worked like that with Viktor? Why hadn’t the scent of another alpha pushed him away instead of making him fight?

If only Viktor hadn’t been claimed, things would be easier. It wouldn’t erase the fact that Viktor had once been someone else’s property, but it would erase the physical side of things. Yuuri didn’t know how Viktor had ended up living with Eduard Daniil Volkov, but the most likely explanation was money. It was possible to pass an omega to a new owner if all you needed to consider was money, but when the alpha had bonded with the omega, claimed the omega as physically theirs, it was much more complicated. It usually meant that the omega felt a connection to their alpha and wasn’t willing to sever that connection.

However, Viktor didn’t seem to care.

Viktor was such a mystery in every way, and Yuuri wondered if he could ever solve it. If only there was something about Viktor that resembled the omega behaviour that had been outlined in the book he had been reading. Instead Viktor seemed to defy everything.

It had been nearly four years since Viktor had left his owner. It had been nearly a year since the crime of running away had expired and Viktor was now legally a stray. He didn’t have an owner, and technically that would make his bond obsolete. But biology didn’t follow the laws.

Yuuri groaned and thought about how happy Viktor had sounded when he had discovered that his old alpha’s smell was gone and been replaced by Yuuri’s.

When Yuuri had asked Viktor about fated mates, he had been joking. He didn’t believe in such stories himself, because surely he could never find an omega to be his mate when omegas drove him out of control. But what if there was some truth to those stories? Didn’t stories always start with a hint of truth?

Yuuri’s heart turned when he thought about Viktor as his fated mate. He had already vocalised his intent on courting the omega, he had honestly told him that he wanted them to be lovers, but to what extent had he mean that, he wasn’t quite sure. Omegas were pets, they weren’t lovers. Well, in some cases alphas decided to forego finding a female spouse to be with their omega, but it was rare. Maybe he should just wait a bit longer. There would undoubtedly be many important women who would gladly marry him and he would keep up his family’s good name. It was a small miracle that he wasn’t married yet.

Yuuri thought about getting married to a faceless woman. Viktor was standing in the background. Yuuri turned to his bride, and it was Viktor. It was Viktor.

There was no one else but Viktor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have put up the first draft of this chapter as well as process video of writing and editing. For more information see [tumblr](http://pornorosso.tumblr.com/post/161664709891/chapter-6on-the-runtrue-freedom-vikyuu-have-a). If you really pay attention you get a peek at my notes on this fic as well as the beginning on chapter 7 on the videos.
> 
> You might also find my [my writing](http://pornorosso.tumblr.com/tagged/my_writing) tag on tumblr of interest because that gives you an idea of what chapter I've been working on.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a brief scene of rather explicit child abuse, yet I still don't feel like it's enough to warrant an archive warning.

Viktor lay in his nest and thought about Yuuri. The alpha was acting so gentle, but he had also put Viktor in danger when Viktor was weak. Even if the danger hadn’t been there because he was bonded, Yuuri hadn’t known. The alpha had thought that Viktor was unclaimed.

How stupid!

Yuuri was stupid for thinking that Viktor could still be unclaimed at his age. Viktor was stupid for having thought that the alpha was a decent person.

He closed his eyes and thought back to when he had arrived. Yuuri had washed his hair with soft fingers, and he couldn’t help wondering if the alpha did that for every omega that came through the back door, being hauled in by his servants. Did Yuuri always look at them with such fascination and care?

Then he thought about the time he was ill. It was a bit hard to grasp the memories, and his mind wandered off to other places too easily. He thought about the bed where he had lain. It was hot and sticky and he didn’t know anyone who visited him. He thought back to the metal collar, tried to remember how it had pressed against his skin. It had been the most uncomfortable thing he had ever worn, and it pressed hard against his soft neck when he lay in bed. He remembered dreaming that it grew bigger and heavier and obstructed his breathing and he was panicking. Then there was a flash of pain on his fingers, and Viktor suddenly lifted his right hand up to look at his two bandaged fingers. He should have taken the bandages off already. They had gotten dirty during the one day he had spent outside. Thinking about the pain on his fingers reminded him of how panicked he had been.

Maybe Yuuri was telling the truth, maybe Viktor had begged him to take the collar off. He was quite certain that he had tried to take it off himself but hadn’t succeeded, the panic rising more and more, but even so he couldn’t be sure that it was true and not just a nightmare. Then again, his nightmares were usually related to his previous life, to Yuri and the alpha who hit him when he didn’t follow instructions and then pulled him into an embrace when he did the right thing. Yakov was also a frequent visitor in his dreams, the dread of him being found out as the person who helped them escape manifesting in his subconscious at night.

Viktor was almost ready to believe that Yuuri had been telling the truth, and it annoyed him. He should know better than to trust an alpha, yet here he was, trying to justify something the alpha had done. Why was he calling the alpha Yuuri anyway? He should have remained distant, and calling him Katsuki had been so much better. It made it easier to see him as a generic mean alpha rather than the soft Yuuri who smiled at him encouragingly and stroked him with gentle fingers.

If it was true, and he had begged for Yuuri to take his collar off and wouldn’t let him leave, what options did the alpha really have? He was trapped in a room with a delirious omega who had hurt himself. Didn’t helping him make Yuuri a decent alpha?

No, no, he shouldn’t think that. If Yuuri had wanted to leave, he could have. He could have used his voice to make him stop.

Or could he? Viktor didn’t know if assertive talk worked on someone who wasn’t quite there in the reality. How could you influence someone who thought they were dreaming?

Viktor turned to lie on his stomach. Once again he was coming to the conclusion that moving in to the Katsuki household had been a mistake and he should leave. Yuuri kept promising him freedom and dignity, but how long before his true colours would show? Viktor had already seen a glimpse. It would soon become obvious that Yuuri was as bad as all alphas were.

Yet something kept him from getting up and leaving. As much as he hated to admit it, he was feeling something he had never felt before.

When Viktor was 13, he had presented as an omega. It didn’t take long before his parents had found an interested alpha and sold him. Eduard Daniil Volkov had never owned an omega before, and he had to practise discipline on Viktor. When Viktor couldn’t remember all the rules that completely contradicted the life he was used to living, his master spanked him. Viktor bit his lip as he thought about the humiliation of lowering his pants in front of this stranger and bending over the man’s knees or against a table to receive blows that kept on coming and wouldn’t halt even when he cried and begged for mercy. He couldn’t sit down sometimes, had to sleep on his stomach and pretend that he understood what he had done wrong.

Viktor had missed his parents. It took him several months before he understood that when his master told him that his parents wouldn’t return, he was being serious. His parents weren’t coming back, and they weren’t going to rescue him from this man, because Viktor was just an omega. His opinion didn’t matter, he learned, and he would have to remain pliant for his master because his master was also his owner. Learning to be an object rather than a person was hard for Viktor, and he had lost count of how many times he had been spanked for misbehaving because he kept forgetting that he wasn’t supposed to be an individual anymore.

His life wasn’t all bad; he had his own bed and it was softer than what he had had before. His master bought him new clothes, plenty of them, making sure that every day Viktor would have something different to wear, that he wouldn’t get cold in the heart of winter, that his shoes made walking comfortable. He was allowed to read the books that the master bought him, and he enjoyed gardening together with the man, learning how to take care of their plants. He liked cooking too, although at times it grew into too much stress after he found out that if he didn’t manage a proper meal, he got a beating. He got a new beating if he cried while continuing with the food, because who would want tears in their supper.

Sometimes Viktor was allowed to go out alone, but not very far away. He had to make sure to stay within a certain range of his home. At times, when the master had fallen asleep, Viktor would sneak out farther away, but that ended when someone told the master and Viktor was punished with his first caning. It had hurt more than any other punishment, and Viktor didn’t want to go out for weeks afterwards.

Eduard Volkov mostly raised bad memories in Viktor. He had been forced to form an attachment to the man, and he had done it out of fear. When he thought about what his master had meant for him, he mostly thought fear: tip-toeing around the house and hoping that he doesn’t forget any of his rules. Hiding his tears behind a curtain of hair to avoid further confrontation.

It had been a few weeks since Viktor had arrived to his master, when he was first taken to bed. The master had been reassuring. His words were soft, his touch even softer. Viktor had been so afraid he was shaking, but the master took time to soothe his nerves, let him get used to his touch, and he didn’t get angry when Viktor tried to squirm away when he first took a hold of Viktor’s cock. He held Viktor firmly but whispered reassurance in his ear while kissing his neck, his big hand stroking Viktor’s small cock until Viktor felt something wet in his ass. He had never experienced that before, and it made him cry. The master had been kind to him, taking time to explain that it was nothing to fear, it was a normal reaction, and he was being a very good boy for reacting like that. Then he had touched Viktor back there, his thick finger collecting the slick that Viktor was dripping and gently teasing his entrance. The master pushed a finger inside, and Viktor couldn’t stop crying. His memories stopped to when the master had pressed something much bigger against his hole, and the next thing he remembered was lying on his stomach in something sticky and he felt like his ass had been split apart. The master was gone and there was blood on the bed, and Viktor discovered that the blood was coming from him.

Viktor curled into a ball in his nest. It had been years since he had thought about that day in such detail. He wished that he could forget the entire thing just like he had already forgotten a part of it. Of course, he knew he couldn’t, because the missing memories had been missing right from the beginning. He had woken up from whatever weird state he had been in and couldn’t remember anything.

He shuddered when he thought about getting an erection while Yuuri was right next to him. No matter how kind Yuuri was to him, he knew that at some point the alpha would lose his restraint and hurt him, just like his master had done every time he had sex with Viktor and Viktor wasn’t in heat. Only during his heats, he wasn’t in pain from sex – he was in pain from the lack of it. The master wasn’t always in the mood and left the house to escape the scent. Sometimes he beat Viktor for trying to seduce him with his scent tricks, although Viktor was quite sure that there was no way for an omega to control their heat or the scent they put out. It had taken him years to learn that from experience, and later it had been confirmed by Yakov, who was well-learned and knew many things Viktor could only dream about knowing.

It was unfair, and Viktor still got emotional thinking about it. His master had been an adult, he had known that Viktor couldn’t help going into heat when he did, yet he had still found it necessary to punish Viktor for being a healthy omega.

The master’s ruts were something that Viktor didn’t even want to think about. They often ended with bloody sheets and several painful days for Viktor, and thinking about it made him sick. It had worked that way even when he had still lived with the master. On a few occasions, he had been sick after smelling the master going into rut.

Viktor dug himself deeper into the nest. It wasn’t big enough to shield him from the bad memories. He tried to find Yuuri’s scent, but it had disappeared.

After the master had scented Viktor for the first time, his heart had felt light. He had felt like the alpha was someone who cared about him. Even after he had been proved wrong he had still gotten that feeling after scenting.

Yet he could not remember a single time when he would have felt like he needed that scent. He had never wanted to walk up to the master and rub his neck against the alpha’s to make sure that their scents remained intertwined.

Viktor felt teary when he got up and left his nest. He hesitated in the hallway before approaching Yuuri’s room. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He bit his lip and tried the door for no good reason, and was nearly shocked to find that it opened. He peeked in through the crack. The room was empty.

Yuuri’s room was even bigger than Viktor’s, but had much more personality than Viktor’s barely furnished bland room. Yuuri had a desk, a chest of drawers, a stand with a fancy pot on top, rugs on the floor and on the walls, books scattered around. He had a bench next to the window with plump cushions on it.

A noise caused Viktor to turn his head, and he found that there was a door on the left side of the room. Viktor could hear faint splashing, and realised that Yuuri was probably bathing.

His heart hammered heavily in his chest as he sneaked in to the room and approached the bed. It was perfectly made, but Viktor hoped that the sheets hadn’t been changed just recently. He picked up a pillow and sniffed, and to his joy it smelled strongly of Yuuri. He padded softly to the wardrobe, listening intently to the splashes coming from the bathroom. He opened the closet and grabbed whatever cloth he could first find, sniffing before gathering a few items on his arms. He closed the closet door quietly and was headed out when he noticed a big wicker basket. He quickly snuck up to it and was beyond happy to find that it contained Yuuri’s worn clothes. He took all of them and hurried out of the room, checking the hallway before leaving and closing the doors behind him as quickly and quietly as he could. He hurried up to his closet and opened it, didn’t stop before he was sitting inside and only a slither of light illuminated his nest.

His heart was beating fast, he felt alive with adrenaline running through his body, and he arranged Yuuri’s belonging into the nest. He lay back down, hugging the pillow that smelled like Yuuri, and that’s how he fell asleep.

*

Viktor woke up to Yuuri’s voice calling for him. He contemplated staying in his nest, but then got up and went to open the door.

“Good morning!” Yuuri said. “Did you sleep well?”

Viktor blinked a few times, trying to reconnect his brain with his body. He remembered all the sad things he had been thinking about the previous night. He’d been having nightmares all night. He didn’t want to tell Yuuri, so he didn’t say anything.

“Do you want breakfast?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor nodded. Yuuri smiled and held out a hand for him.

“Let’s go together,” the alpha said.

Viktor regarded his hand in apprehension before slowly taking it. Yuuri smiled wider and waited for him to close the door to his room before guiding him to the dining room.

“You should take a bath after breakfast,” Yuuri said as they sat down. “Your hair is so beautiful.”

Viktor winced. He bit his lips and focused on the food in front of him rather than the memories that were suddenly taking over: the way the master had brushed his hair, kept it long. “It’s beautiful,” he had said. “It gives you a softer, more feminine look.” His hair had been decorated. His hair had been cherished. His hair had become an entity separate from him that needed to be protected. Sometimes Viktor had thought about cutting it, but he was too frightened to find out what the master would do. Maybe he would be beaten to death. Without his hair, he was nothing.

Viktor bent his head down to hide his face with a curtain of hair as he ate his breakfast. Yuuri tried talking to him, but he wouldn’t reply to anything, and eventually the alpha gave up. Viktor forced his hand to stop shaking as he thought about how the master used to pull on his hair during sex or when he misbehaved or when he cried during a punishment.

It was obvious that something was wrong, and he couldn’t do anything to hide it. He waited in agony for Yuuri to ask about it. He didn’t want to have a conversation.

Viktor snatched an apple and got up, ran out of the room before Yuuri could finish chewing the food in his mouth. Viktor didn’t slow down before he was out of the door. He looked back, but there was no one there. He ran up to the gate and slipped out.

He had no way of knowing where he should go, but he ran forward. He held onto the apple and ran until it got too hot. His vision was blurring with sweat dripping into his eyes from his brow, and he stopped to wipe his face. He continued searching, and his feet were getting sore. He was thirsty. He couldn’t find Yuri.

Viktor sat down in a shady alley and burst to tears. He wished that he had never met Yuuri, because the alpha was turning his life into a real mess. He used to have no problems, just wandering around the streets and doing what he wanted to do, fending for himself and feeling alive. He was so busy staying free that he had no time to think about the bad memories most of the days. He had no time to worry about Yuri, although he always had the omega in his mind, and he had no reason to ever think that an alpha might mean good to him. He pulled off the bandages from his fingers and inspected his torn nail. Without his nails, he couldn’t defend himself. He had hardly ever torn them. There must have been lots of strength behind whatever had happened. He thought about the metal collar and looked at the small scabs on his fingertips.

He leaned his face against his bony knees. He didn’t see any reason for Yuuri to want him other than for some selfish reason that he had yet to uncover. He was too skinny to be attractive or desirable for sexual purposes. The only good thing about him was his hair, now that it was clean and untangled again. If he didn’t have his hair, surely Yuuri would see how ugly he was.

A long while passed before Viktor could stop crying and wanted to continue his search. He was getting seriously thirsty, his saliva thick from crying. He wobbled out of the alley and moved on. He didn’t know what time it was. He hadn’t finished his breakfast before leaving, and he was getting hungry. It shouldn’t feel so bad. He was used to being hungry all the time. Maybe being fed so diligently in Yuuri’s care had messed up with his system of only eating once a day. He was already starting to feel weak.

The omegas Viktor used to be friends with were now hissing at him angrily. He didn’t blame them; he would have acted the same towards an omega who was as groomed as he was. He was still sniffling occasionally and his feet ached. He took off the sandals. It was better without them. He was used to his bare feet hitting the street with each step.

Viktor didn’t know how long he looked before he finally found Yuri. The omega was hiding behind a smelly trash can and jumped at Viktor when he turned to the alley.

“Viktor?” Yuri asked and backed off. “What’s going on?”

“I brought you an apple,” Viktor said and offered Yuri the fruit.

The omega didn’t hesitate to take the offered fruit and bit into it with delight. He didn’t take his eyes off Viktor, however.

“What happened?” Yuri asked. “Did he hurt you? Do you need me to kill him?”

Viktor laughed. He dropped the sandals to the ground and sat down behind the trash can with Yuri. He watched his omega brother eat the apple, carefully nibbling around the core to get all the fruit he could possibly get.

“You don’t come looking for me for no reason,” Yuri said. “And an apple is not a reason.”

Viktor smiled up to the sky.

“I need you to cut my hair,” he said.

“What?” Yuri snapped. “Are you sure?”

Viktor nodded. His eyes were tearing up again. It was because he had already been crying. He was emotionally fragile because… because… because that’s how life had turned out for him.

“Your hair didn’t get to grow long enough for you to know what it was like,” Viktor said. “He didn’t have the chance to admire you for your soft long hair.”

“I know,” Yuri said. “I don’t understand why you keep thinking I was blind back then. I could see what he did to you.”

“Do you ever think about it?” Viktor asked. “Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if he didn’t already have me?”

“I try to not get so sentimental,” Yuri said roughly, which told Viktor that he was trying his hardest to hide his emotions. “Viktor. I am thankful that you were always there for me. And never make me say that again.”

“Thank you,” Viktor said and leaned against Yuri.

The small child had grown into a very capable young man. Viktor was happy that Yuri hadn’t gone through the worse punishments because he was still so young. He had only gotten spanked, and only once the master had used a belt on him. It would have escalated on the day they left. Viktor was sure that he had saved Yuri from his first caning.

“Stop crying, old man,” Yuri mumbled against Viktor’s hair.

The smaller omega wrapped his arm around Viktor’s slim shoulders.

*

“Are you sure?” Yuri asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Yes,” Viktor replied for what felt like the hundredth time.

If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t sure. He had lived with his long hair for years. His hair had already been on the longer side when his parents had sold him – which had probably given his new master the idea to let it grow – so his hair had been long for well over a decade. He liked how it gave him the opportunity to hide, make himself feel just a bit more secure. He couldn’t imagine not feeling it flow around his face on a windy day or how it stuck to his skin when it rained.

Yuri had found a sharp knife to use. They were back at an alley, hidden from view, and Viktor had his back turned to the other omega. He was glad that he couldn’t see Yuri holding the knife. This way he could keep convincing himself that there was nothing to worry about.

“I’m going to do it,” Yuri said.

Viktor nodded. He closed his eyes and bit his lips. Yuri gathered his hair in one hand. Maybe he should have done it years before, back when they had escaped. He should have given his hair up a long time ago.

“Do it,” he said weakly.

He felt the knife’s dull edge on his nape as Yuri positioned it.

“I hope this will work,” Yuri said.

Neither of them knew how to cut hair without a pair of scissors. They weren’t sure if the knife would do what they were hoping it would do. A part of Viktor wished that it was too dull to slice through his hair.

A pull, and suddenly Viktor could feel air on his neck.

“You better not regret this, Viktor,” Yuri said and backed away.

Viktor turned to look. Yuri was holding a handful of long hair on his hand. The knife dropped to the ground. Viktor stared at the silver locks. Was that really his hair? He had never seen it detached from himself for obvious reasons. Was that what it looked like? He understood why the master had considered it beautiful. He saw why Yuuri had commented on it too. He reached out to touch it. Yuri handed the entire bunch to him. It was soft and silky, although slightly greasy after not having been washed for a few days.

“It turned a bit uneven,” Yuri commented. “Sorry.”

Viktor hardly heard him. He was staring at the silver hair that he was holding, slowly becoming aware of how naked his neck felt. He shivered.

“Don’t freak out, Viktor,” Yuri said too quietly.

It must have been obvious on Viktor’s face, how shocked he was. He lifted a hand to his head and pulled his fingers through his hair. It was short. It was really short. It hardly reached the bottom of his ears, the right side slightly shorter. He looked up at Yuri.

“Yura,” he said, voice weak. “What does it look like?”

He felt how big his eyes were. Yuri looked at him, searched his face for something.

“It,” the young omega started to say, but didn’t know how to continue.

“Am I hideous?” Viktor asked.

Yuri shook his head.

“You look different,” he said. “More adult.”

Viktor looked down at the hair that he was still squeezing in his hand.

“Did I make a mistake?” he asked.

There was no answer. He would find out when he returned to Yuuri and the alpha saw him. Then he would know.

*

It was late night when Viktor and Yuri walked back to the Katsuki estate. Yuri let Viktor hold his hand because he knew it was for Viktor’s comfort. Viktor was glad to have such an amazing brother. He hadn’t been able to convince Yuri to join him and come stay with Yuuri, but the young omega promised to stay within a certain area for a while in case Viktor needed to find him, and then later visit him.

“What if he can’t stand the sight of me?” Viktor asked quietly.

They were standing by the servants’ entrance, and Viktor had a hard time letting go of Yuri’s hand to go in.

“You won’t know before you go in,” Yuri said. “I already told you where to find me if things go bad.”

Viktor bit his lip. He didn’t want to go inside. He didn’t want to leave Yuri on his own again. He didn’t want to live his life like this.

“You can’t stay out here forever,” Yuri said.

Viktor nodded. He took in a deep breath before releasing it slowly through his mouth. He reluctantly let go of Yuri’s hand and took a step towards the door.

“What if it’s locked?” he asked.

“Only one way to find out,” Yuri replied.

Viktor’s hand was shaking when he tried the door. His heart skipped a beat when the door opened.

“I’ll see you later, Vitya,” Yuri mumbled in the darkness.

“Yura,” Viktor said.

He heard the omega leave. He listened to the quiet footsteps until he couldn’t hear them any longer. Then he stepped inside.

It wasn’t completely dark. Viktor hoped that he wouldn’t run into anyone. He wanted to get back to his room as quickly as he possibly could. His heart was hammering as he sneaked along the hallway, hoping that he was going the right way. After some searching he found a familiar hallway and made it to the dining room. There he made his way to the main hall and up the massive stairs to the hallway that led to his room.

Smelling Yuuri’s scent was no good for his heart. He could see a lump on the floor in front of his room. Even in the relative darkness of the hallway he could tell it was Yuuri: the scent was stronger than usual. It made him want to cry for some reason. He stopped and breathed, hoping it would stop his emotions from taking over.

He took the remaining few steps to Yuuri and stopped. He looked down at the alpha who was lying on the floor, clutching a pillow in his sleep. He thought about simply stepping over Yuuri and going into his room, but then he crouched down and poked the alpha’s shoulder.

Yuuri stirred and frowned, but didn’t seem to wake up. Viktor poked him again and again. Yuuri turned his face into the pillow, but that woke him up. Sleepily he opened his eyes and raised his head.

“Viktor?” he asked, voice thick with slumber.

He blinked, and suddenly recognition chased away any remaining sleep.

“Viktor!” he exclaimed and pulled the omega into a hug.

Viktor tried to back away, but Yuuri’s weight pulled him forward and he lost his balance, landing on his knees before the alpha, who was now leaning heavily against him.

“Viktor, I was so worried,” the alpha mumbled against Viktor’s chest.

Viktor remained quiet. He let Yuuri hold him. It might be the last time. This might be the last time he heard the alpha so happily call his name like he meant something. Once Yuuri saw how he had changed, how he had always been just this pitiful creature, he would be pushed away.

Yuuri pulled away.

“Where did you go so suddenly?” he asked. “Did I do something wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?”

Viktor didn’t say anything. He was waiting for Yuuri to notice. And then the alpha lifted his hand to stroke his hair.

“Viktor?” Yuuri asked, stroking his hand through the omega’s hair several times. “What happened to your hair?”

There was nothing to say, so Viktor remained quiet. Yuuri stood up and walked away. Yes, that’s how it was going to be. Viktor hung his head down. His hair wasn’t there to protect him from the outside world.

“Let me look at you,” Yuuri said right behind Viktor, and the omega jumped.

Yuuri was holding a candle and kneeled in front of Viktor, holding the light up to get a proper look.

“What happened?” he asked.

Viktor looked at the alpha’s face. Yuuri’s eyes were just as round as they had been when they first met. They were glimmering in the candle’s light in a different way, and it made Viktor’s heart stutter. Yuuri was frowning in worry, not anger, his mouth a thin line of care, not resentment.

“I don’t understand you,” Viktor whispered.

He wanted to shield himself from Yuuri’s gaze, but he couldn’t hide behind his hair. He fidgeted on the spot before lifting his hands up to cover his face.

“What don’t you understand, Viktor?” Yuuri asked.

“Why do you keep looking at me like I’m someone who matters?” Viktor mumbled against his hands. “Why won’t you get angry? Why won’t you shout and tell me to leave?”

The air between his hands and face was stuffy and moist.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said quietly.

There was something extremely sad in the way he said it, and Viktor flinched. He hated feeling like this. He wanted to hate Yuuri, but something in him made it impossible.

“You should go to bed,” Yuuri then said. “I’m sure it’s been a long day.”

Viktor shook his head, although he wasn’t sure what he was trying to communicate with it. He was still waiting for Yuuri to tell him that he needed to be punished, because that’s how it goes, but the alpha seemed determined to not do anything like that.

Yuuri opened the door to Viktor’s room but then stood still. Viktor waited for a while, but when nothing happened, he slowly lowered his hands and looked at the alpha. Yuuri was holding out a hand for him, and after some hesitation Viktor took it, letting the alpha pull him to his feet. Yuuri guided him in the room and followed. Viktor hesitated. The alpha didn’t know that he had made a nest in the closet, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to share the information. However, Yuuri was already lighting up the room with his candle, going from lantern to lantern to illuminate every corner.

“Let me look at you,” Yuuri said as he set the candle down on the bedside table.

Viktor turned his head away, but didn’t try to stop the alpha from approaching and looking at him.

“Did I do something wrong?” Yuuri asked. “Viktor, you need to tell me so I can be better.”

The words sounded true, but Viktor couldn’t believe that an alpha would be willing to change their behaviour for an omega. This must have been a new ploy to dig information out of him, and he wouldn’t fall for it.

Yuuri lifted his hand and combed his fingers through Viktor’s hair.

“You need a bath,” he said. “Do you want to take a bath now?”

Viktor shook his head.

“If I did something that upset you, I’m sorry,” Yuuri said. “I’m really sorry Viktor. I try to be careful with the things I say, but it’s hard to know what will hurt you because I don’t know much about your past.”

“Aren’t you disappointed?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri looked at him with a small frown on his face.

“Why should I be?” he asked.

“It’s gone,” Viktor said and brushed his finger through his short hair. “There’s nothing beautiful in me anymore.”

Yuuri’s frown deepened.

“How can you say that?” he asked. “Viktor, why would you think that?”

Viktor didn’t respond. He was watching the way Yuuri’s face twitched with emotions and thoughts, waiting for them to surface.

“I don’t care about your hair,” Yuuri burst out. “I care about you! You’re more than your hair or, or your clothes or whatever. You.”

Viktor glanced down at his bare feet. He couldn’t remember when he had lost his sandals. He had forgotten them somewhere. He had been a bad omega, running away and losing his clothes.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“What?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor wasn’t sure why he asked; did he not hear him or did he want Viktor to come clean, confess all his wrong-doings now to be punished?

“I lost my sandals,” Viktor whispered. “I lost my hair.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Yuuri said, almost angry, and Viktor looked up at him.

His face was still the same, but in his eyes he had fire unlike anything Viktor had seen before.

“Are you trying to make me angry at you, Viktor?” Yuuri asked, and Viktor couldn’t help wincing with the accuracy. “It’s not going to work. I’m not angry. I’m maybe frustrated, but that’s not your fault, really. I just wish I knew how to help you feel better. I wish I could take away all your painful memories and that scar on your arm and everything that bothers you. I want to make you happy.”

Yuuri’s eyes were glistening, but Viktor was sure that he wasn’t going to cry. It was just the strength of his emotions.

“But I’m no one,” Viktor argued, he had to say it. “I’m not a person. I’m a play-thing. I don’t deserve your kindness.”

“How can you keep thinking that?” Yuuri asked. “Why can’t you see your worth?”

“What is my worth to you?” Viktor asked louder than he meant to. “I don’t talk to you. You won’t treat me like a pet and parade me around in fancy clothing to show off to people. You, you probably wouldn’t even want to touch me at all, that’s what you said, isn’t it? I’m only taking up space that could be given to someone more deserving of it. I’m only eating the food that could be given to someone who makes you happy.”

“You make me happy, Viktor,” Yuuri said.

His voice was quiet, but it cut through the air like a knife, and Viktor couldn’t say anything to it.

“Your presence is enough,” Yuuri continued with his quiet voice. “I like talking to you, even if you don’t always talk to me. I… I’ve told you already that I care about you. I _want_ you, Viktor. I really do. In every way.”

“Then why won’t you do anything?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri looked at him with his big eyes, and his gaze sent shivers down the omega’s spine. He had never seen an alpha so vulnerable before anyone, much less a stray omega.

“I don’t want to scare you away,” Yuuri said. “I can’t touch you if you don’t want it. I can’t do to you what your… uh, the alpha you used to live with, what he did. I can’t do that because it will hurt you. And I never want you to be hurt again.”

Viktor could tell that Yuuri was telling the truth. He couldn’t stop his tears, so he turned away and ran to the closet, slipped inside, and slammed the door shut. He burrowed into his nest, pulling Yuuri’s pillow close to his face, and cried. His tears were staining the pillow, and Yuuri’s scent swirled around him.

“Viktor?” Yuuri called and knocked on the closet door.

Viktor pressed his face against the pillow so that his sobs would be muffled by it.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said. “Please, tell me what to do. I don’t know how to do it. I just… Talk to me, Viktor.”

Even if he wanted to, Viktor couldn’t speak, because he was still crying. He was tired from having already cried earlier that day, having ran around the city looking for Yuuri, not having eaten since breakfast.

There was a knock on the closet door again.

“Viktor?” Yuuri called for him. “Can I come in?”

Viktor didn’t want to speak to not reveal that he was crying, although Yuuri had probably guessed. Instead he took off his collar and rubbed on a scent gland, sending an invitation for Yuuri. The door opened softly.

“Viktor?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor dropped his hand from his scent gland and hugged the pillow closer to him. Yuuri opened the door further and sat down on the floor of the closet, next to Viktor’s legs.

“Tell me, Viktor,” he said softly.

Of course, Viktor didn’t, as he was still crying. Yuuri remained seated next to him, rubbing his leg with a warm hand. The touch was good. It was friendly. It was caring. Viktor thought about how _that man_ had treated him when he cried. A pull on his hair, sharp pain on his scalp. A slap on his face, hot sting on his cheek. If he couldn’t stop crying, a spanking or a whipping with a belt, burning strokes over his buttocks and back. And now he was there, crying in a closet after having built a nest with stolen items from this alpha, and what he got was a gentle touch that promised him stability and comfort.

“Are you comfortable here in the closet?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor hummed affirmatively in respond. His sobs were starting to settle.

“Is the bed too big?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor nodded and peeked at the alpha from behind his arm.

“Is the room too big too?” Yuuri asked.

“Everything’s too big,” Viktor whispered.

Yuuri nodded thoughtfully.

“I have a walk-in closet attached to my room,” Yuuri said. “We could turn that into a room for you if you’d like. If you don’t mind being so close to me.”

Viktor shrugged, because what would he say? He didn’t know anything about his feelings anymore. He was getting too tired to always think about possible schemes this kind alpha might be up to. He wanted to believe that Yuuri was genuine.

“Think about it,” Yuuri said absentmindedly. “It’s bigger than a closet, but I’m sure you can build a good nest in it. It would give you less space around you, if that would make you more comfortable.”

Viktor noticed that his need to cry had subsided. Yuuri was still stroking him. His eyelids were heavy.

“Where were you today?” Yuuri asked. “You don’t have to tell me. I’m just wondering if you have eaten properly.”

Viktor shook his head.

“I’m thirsty,” he whispered, afraid that Yuuri might be bothered by his request.

“I’ll get you water,” Yuuri said. “And food. You need a meal before going to sleep.”

The alpha stood up after patting Viktor’s leg and walked over to the bed. Viktor assumed that he was calling for a servant, and shivered at the thought of being so needy. He heard Yuuri open a door, but it didn’t sound like the door to the hallway. Yuuri was probably in the bathroom. Viktor heard water splashing, and soon the alpha returned.

“Here’s water for you,” he said.

Viktor slowly sat up and looked at Yuuri, who was holding out a glass of water. The alpha looked just as calm and kind as he always did, there was no hint of anger or irritation in him. Viktor took the glass and downed the water as quickly as he could without choking. There was a knock on the door when Yuuri took the empty glass from Viktor, and the alpha headed to the door.

“Get something to eat, please,” Yuuri said.

“Anything specific?” an unfamiliar voice asked.

Viktor was quite amazed that there was still someone he didn’t know in the house, although it should have been obvious. He didn’t know who worked in the kitchen. He hadn’t seen any of the security guards around. He had only met Yuuri’s body guard and one servant, but surely there were more.

“Viktor, what would you like to eat?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor didn’t know, so he remained quiet.

“I’m sure anything you can easily prepare is fine,” Yuuri said. “You know, a big snack.”

“A big snack,” the unfamiliar voice repeated. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Thank you,” Yuuri said before closing the door.

He went back to the bathroom and soon returned with a new glass of water.

“Emil will get you something to eat,” he said as Viktor drank.

“Is he your servant too?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri nodded.

“Is he a beta?” Viktor asked.

“He is,” Yuuri said.

Viktor wondered if there were more servants that Yuuri had, but didn’t ask. He finished the water, and Yuuri got him yet another glass. Viktor sipped it slower now that the biggest thirst had subsided. He jolted when there was a knock on the door. Yuuri went to open, and returned with a tray. Viktor set the glass aside to eat bread with butter and slices of meat on top, feeling his strength return with each bite while drowsiness was taking over. He continued with a bowl of fruit, not even certain what he was eating, just forcing his jaws to chew a little while longer so he wouldn’t have to sleep with an empty stomach. He finished the glass of water when Yuuri went over to the door and took the tray out. Viktor was almost certain that Emil the servant had waited there to collect the dirty dishes.

After Yuuri took the glass off Viktor’s hands, Viktor lay down in the nest. He heard Yuuri return to the closet door.

“Is everything good now?” Yuuri asked. “Do you need something?”

“Will you sleep with me?” Viktor asked quietly.

“Do you want me to?” Yuuri asked.

“Yes,” Viktor replied equally quietly.

“Is there room for me?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor pushed a pillow aside. His heart was hammering in anticipation of what Yuuri would do. Then Yuuri sat down in the closet, pulled the door nearly closed, and lay down next to Viktor. Viktor turned around to cuddle up to the alpha, who wrapped his arms around the omega and stroked his short hair.

“Sleep well, Viktor,” Yuuri whispered.

Viktor rested his head on Yuuri’s chest, eyes already closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote [this post](http://pornorosso.tumblr.com/post/161780494696/i-just-want-to-get-sappy-about-my-writing-for-a) about writing this fic and writing in general if someone wants to read it. I'm just pretty damn amazed that this fic exists.


	8. Chapter 8

Yuuri woke up slowly. He was feeling hot, and wanted to get out of bed, when he started to remember where he was. Bony arms had wrapped around his body, and he felt Viktor’s breaths against his nape. The omega was still fast asleep, smelling happy. Yuuri was glad that Viktor didn’t have his collar on, so he could smell the omega’s contentment. He felt serene, too, lying in the soft nest with an omega cuddled up to him.

Carefully, so as not to disturb the omega’s sleep, Yuuri pushed the closet door open a bit more to let air inside. He wanted to enjoy this moment of peace with Viktor, but his thoughts were already starting to swirl in his head, pulling him out of the comfort of being barely awake. He remembered that Viktor had shown up with his hair cut short.

Very slowly Yuuri rolled around to look at the omega sleeping by his side. His eyes briefly focused on a shirt that he knew had disappeared from his laundry hamper. He smiled and turned to Viktor. The omega looked just as calm as he always had when Yuuri had caught him asleep. Yuuri wanted him to always be so at peace. He stroked some of the hair off Viktor’s forehead.

It was weird to see the omega with short hair. Ever since the first day Yuuri had admired his hair, how full and long it was, how beautifully it caught the light and fell over Viktor’s shoulders like a silver cape. It was a bit difficult to say now that Viktor was lying down, but the short hair seemed to frame his face in a better way. It gave his face an opportunity to shine now that it was impossible for the omega to hide behind a wall of hair. He just needed a bath to get rid of the grease.

Yuuri remembered saying something like that the previous morning in the breakfast table. Now that he thought about it, Viktor had gotten awfully quiet after that. Yuuri thought about the drawing of Viktor wearing the clothes his owner had given him, specifically the jewellery in his hair.

He felt stupid, now that he thought about it. Viktor’s long hair must have been something that his old alpha liked. It must have been something meaningful, but in the wrong way, and Viktor had gotten upset because Yuuri was suggesting that his hair mattered more than he did. Wasn’t that what Viktor had told him?

“What happened to you?” Yuuri whispered in the quiet nest.

He stroked his fingertips over Viktor’s cheek. The omega opened his eyes.

“Oh,” Yuuri let out before collecting himself and smiling. “Good morning, Viktor. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

Viktor smiled back, but it quickly fell off his face. His eyes turned more alert, and he looked around as if he might have been ambushed.

“Should I leave?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor stopped his eyes at the alpha. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and Yuuri wanted to stroke the creases away from his forehead, but didn’t. Viktor shook his head.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said. “Would you tell me about your hair?”

Viktor’s eyes widened. It was the same look he got when Yuuri asked him a question that he didn’t want to answer when he least anticipated it. There was a sudden spike in his scent too, but Yuuri wasn’t sure what it meant.

“What about my hair?” the omega croaked in response.

“Did the alpha, who,” Yuuri asked, “who… Did _that_ alpha make you grow it?”

Viktor considered the question for a while before nodding softly, eyes not leaving Yuuri’s face.

“Did he admire it?” Yuuri asked. “Maybe so much that he forgot about you?”

Viktor bit his lip. There was something frozen in his face, but he eventually nodded.

“I think I understand why you wanted to cut it,” Yuuri said thoughtfully. “Were you afraid that I can’t see past the hair? That I can’t see who you really are?”

Viktor’s eyes widened a fraction. For Yuuri that was enough of an answer, and it was all he got. He smiled at Viktor.

“I think I like you with short hair better,” he said quietly. “It lets your face show.”

Viktor watched him before looking away. His scent softened, making Yuuri’s heart skip a beat.

“How long has it been, Viktor?” Yuuri asked to stop the omega from getting uncomfortable with the focus on his looks. “Since you ran away?”

Viktor’s eyes were back on him, but he was pressing his lips together.

“Has it been over three years?” Yuuri asked. “Do you know that if it’s been over three years, you’re legally a stray?”

“What?” Viktor asked in disbelief.

“That’s the law,” Yuuri said. “If you’ve been on the run for three years, you no longer belong to the alpha who used to own you.”

Viktor closed his eyes. He was frowning deeply. Yuuri turned to lie on his back to give the omega more space.

“If you want to be free,” Yuuri said quietly, almost to himself, “you can become legally mine. That way you’re not an outlaw and you can go wherever you want to go. I won’t keep you from doing that.”

Viktor remained quiet, and Yuuri let him be. He was surprised by how comfortable the nest in the closet was. A part of him thought that he could get used to it, and he smiled at that.

“You will,” Viktor said.

Yuuri had to think back to remember what it was that Viktor was replying to.

“Why do you think that?” he asked.

“Because alphas are only nice until they get you,” Viktor whispered.

Yuuri turned his head to look at the omega, who had turned his head down. The air in the closet was getting thicker with the scent of anxiety.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said. “I don’t know what happened to you that made you think that. I guess there’s nothing I can do to convince you that I’m not going to try to keep you from being who you want to be.”

“Maybe I don’t want to be anyone,” Viktor mumbled so quietly that Yuuri hardly heard it. “Maybe I just want to be a pet.”

Yuuri swallowed.

“That’s not true, Viktor,” he said. “You told me yourself. You don’t want to belong to anyone. You want to be free.”

Viktor didn’t reply. Yuuri turned to look at the top of the closet again. It looked odd, so different from the vast ceiling of his own room.

“Maybe I’m too tired to be free,” Viktor whispered.

Yuuri sat up, startling Viktor, who turned to look at him with apprehension.

“You shouldn’t say that, Viktor,” he said. “We both know that’s not true.”

“What does it even matter to you?” Viktor asked, but turned to look away when Yuuri looked down at him. “If I’m your omega, you can do whatever you want with me. Isn’t that convenient for you?”

“No!” was all Yuuri could say.

He didn’t want to hear Viktor put himself down like that.

“Why don’t you touch me?” Viktor asked, turning his eyes at Yuuri. “Take me. Make me submit to you.”

“No,” Yuuri said.

The look in Viktor’s eyes was anything but will to submit, and his scent was that of stubbornness and distrust.

“Why not?” Viktor asked and turned to lie on his back. “Touch me.”

“I can’t,” Yuuri said. “You don’t really want it. I can’t do it to you.”

Viktor stared up at him with unusual boldness. Yuuri frowned.

“I think you’re trying to make me do something that will prove to you that I’m horrible,” he said. “You want a reason to hate me, and it frustrates you that I’m not giving you any.”

Viktor’s face remained blank.

“What did that alpha do to you?” Yuuri asked. “How did he make you behave?”

Viktor’s face faltered, but he managed to hold onto the look of indifference.

“Are you hoping to get tips?” he asked.

“I’m hoping to understand you,” Yuuri said. “I want to understand why you act nothing like the books say you would. How can you be so desperate to get rid of the scent of your bonded alpha? I don’t understand it, because no one can tell me but you.”

Viktor smirked.

“You’re reading books on omegas?” he asked. “Wow, you’re really going all out.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Yuuri asked.

“Maybe think of me as a person?” Viktor said and sat up. “Isn’t that what you keep telling me? That you see me as a person?”

Yuuri blinked. It sounded so obvious, how had he not realised that?

“Even then,” he tried to argue, “there are still certain biological traits that should work in a certain way.”

Viktor sniffed and crossed his arms.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said and sighed. “I don’t want to upset you. I’m just frustrated. I’m not lying to you, Viktor. It’s just hard to switch my brain to think in a different set than I’ve been taught to think my entire life.”

“I know that very well,” Viktor said.

He was trying to hold onto a sneer, but his emotions seeped through.

“Is that why you’re struggling to accept that you can be free while living with me?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor sniffed again and shook his head.

“It has nothing to do with you,” he said.

“Tell me, please,” Yuuri said.

Viktor looked at him from under his brows. He looked like he wanted to hide, but couldn’t, because his hair was gone.

“Do you think I was born an omega?” Viktor asked. “Or a person?”

Yuuri’s jaw dropped. He had already felt stupid, but this revelation only served to amplify the feeling of utter idiocy in him. How had he not realised something so basic? When he had been born, he was just a boy. When he presented as an alpha, his life changed. He became something more.

Now, if Viktor had presented as an omega…

“You became something less,” Yuuri said out loud.

Viktor looked irritated, and Yuuri hurried to correct his words.

“I mean that when you were a child, you were just like everyone else,” he said. “Then suddenly you were an omega, and that overrides everything.”

“So, you can actually understand simple concepts,” Viktor mumbled, trying to sound angry.

“Your parents sold you, didn’t they?” Yuuri asked. “I can’t even begin to imagine what that’s like, but it must have been hard.”

Viktor’s lips were a dense line and he was staring at the floor of the closet.

“Then you were suddenly living with an alpha who only saw you as an omega,” Yuuri continued, ignoring how Viktor’s scent now had an unfamiliar edge to it. “That’s… It can’t be good for a child that age. How old were you Viktor? Twelve?”

Viktor had bowed his head down even more.

“Thirteen,” Viktor said to Yuuri’s surprise.

He had to take a moment before he could react properly.

“Well,” he said. “It’s still very young.”

“No age is the right age,” Viktor mumbled.

He was right. Yuuri didn’t have to say anything.

“Yes,” he said to make sure that Viktor knew he understood.

Then he went quiet too. Should he use this opportunity to try to ask more, or quit while he was ahead? He hadn’t learnt to read Viktor much at all.

“Would you like to tell me more?” he asked.

Viktor glanced up, then shook his head, much like Yuuri had expected. He focused on the omega’s hair now that he was up.

“Your haircut’s a bit uneven,” he said. “Do you want to have it fixed?”

Viktor lifted a hand up and touched the tips of his newly cut hair.

“I can?” he asked timidly.

Yuuri smiled widely.

“Yes!” he said. “After breakfast, we can go see a barber.”

*

Viktor couldn’t stop touching his hair after they left the barber. Yuuri watched him lift his hand up again and again just to touch the tips of his hair. He couldn’t help smiling at how confused Viktor looked as his fingers touched the soft locks that were now only able to cover his left eye.

When they arrived back to the Katsuki estate, there were people seemingly everywhere. Viktor stepped behind Yuuri without explanation.

“My parents must have returned,” Yuuri said.

Viktor didn’t say anything. Yuuri turned to glance at him, but the omega seemed fine, if not quite nervous. Yuuri found himself wishing that Viktor wasn’t wearing his collar so he could get a clue about his feelings from his scent.

“I’ll talk to them first before introducing you,” Yuuri said thoughtfully. “Unless you’d prefer to meet them right away?”

There was no answer from Viktor.

“I’ll take you to your room,” Yuuri said. “You can rest.”

“Do I have to?” Viktor mumbled.

“Do you not want to?” Yuuri asked. “You’ve been needing so much rest lately that I just assumed.”

Viktor shook his head, and the meaning behind that remained a mystery to Yuuri, because the omega didn’t say anything else.

“What would you like to do?” he asked instead of waiting for a confirmation he would never receive.

“I…” Viktor whispered and stopped for a moment before clearing his throat and trying to sound more convincing. “Can I go to the library?”

“Of course, you can,” Yuuri said. “I didn’t realise you’d like to read.”

“Maybe,” Viktor replied, looking at his toes in the new pair of sandals Yuuri had given him.

“I’ll escort you to the library then,” Yuuri said. “I expect Emil or Michele has already explained your presence to the rest of the staff, so you don’t have to worry about anything.”

Viktor didn’t look convinced, but nodded anyway. Yuuri took a soft hold of his arm and pulled him towards the house through the lush garden. Viktor was looking at the ground, which Yuuri found hard to understand. He would have thought that the omega would like to keep his eyes open for any potential dangers, eyes darting from side to side, but instead his short hair was hiding his left eye out of sight and he seemed extremely interested in the ground. Yuuri didn’t comment, simply led Viktor inside.

“Katsuki-sama,” a few servants greeted them.

Yuuri nodded at them with a smile, but didn’t stop. He guided Viktor up to the second floor and right into the library. It was empty, thankfully. Yuuri wasn’t sure Viktor would enjoy the company of any of the staff that he didn’t know.

“You can read any book you want,” Yuuri said. “If you don’t like reading here, you can take books back to your room.”

Viktor looked at the bookshelves in clear awe, even though this wasn’t his first time in the library. Maybe he had been too busy to appreciate the number of books in the room on the previous occasions.

“I can take them to my room?” he asked carefully.

“Yes,” Yuuri said. “If there’s any book I might have wanted to read, I’ll know to ask you.”

Viktor seemed dejected by this idea, and Yuuri wanted to slap himself from speaking without thinking.

“Viktor,” he said clearly. “You’re allowed to read any book you want. Any one of them. Don’t worry about anyone else but you.”

Viktor’s lower lip trembled, but he didn’t try to object.

“Are you fine on your own?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor looked at him properly for the first time since the barber had finished cutting his hair and Viktor had turned to look at Yuuri in excitement over his image in the mirror.

“Yes,” the omega said quietly.

“If you need me, call for a servant and they’ll look for me for you,” Yuuri said. “I’ll come see you after I’m done talking to my parents.”

Yuuri was almost certain that Viktor wouldn’t call for a servant even if his life depended on it, but found it important to tell him to do that anyway. He pat Viktor’s shoulder before leaving the room and heading downstairs.

He asked for his parents from a guard who was standing in the hallway, and was directed to their room. Yuuri headed there, stopping to peek into a few rooms on his way to make sure they weren’t there.

After reaching the door to his parents’ bedroom, Yuuri stopped and took a deep breath. He looked down at himself, and deemed his outfit proper, before knocking on the door.

“Come in,” his mother’s voice said, and Yuuri opened the door.

“Yuuri, good to see you!” Yuuri’s father said.

“Good to see you too, Father, Mother,” Yuuri said and nodded to his parents. “How was your trip?”

“It was just excellent,” his mother said and pulled him into a warm hug. “I missed you, Yuuri.”

“I missed you too,” Yuuri said quietly as he hugged his mother.

His father stepped forward to pat his back.

“I have something to tell you,” Yuuri said as he pulled away from his mother’s hug.

“We have something to ask you,” his mother said.

“We learned that the guest room by your room has been taken,” his father continued.

“Yes, that’s what I was going to tell you about,” Yuuri said.

“It’s inconvenient,” his father said before Yuuri had a chance to explain.

“Why so?” Yuuri asked.

“Because we brought a special guest,” his mother said. “We were going to put her in that room.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said. “Who is it?”

“We’ll get back to that later,” Yuuri’s father said. “What were you going to tell us?”

“Who’s staying in that room?” his mother asked.

“Mother, Father,” Yuuri said carefully. “I’ve met someone.”

His parents glanced at each other before turning to look at him again.

“You’ve met someone?” his father asked.

“Yes,” Yuuri confirmed. “He’s staying in that room.”

“And who is this person exactly?” Yuuri’s mother asked kindly.

“He’s…” Yuuri began, but suddenly the idea of telling them that Viktor was a stray omega didn’t seem so appealing. “He’s an omega.”

His parents looked at each other again, only this time they were frowning.

“You have an omega staying in the house,” his mother said monotonously.

“It’s okay,” Yuuri hurried to explain. “He’s collared.”

“Nevertheless,” his father said. “That’s risky of you, isn’t it?”

Yuuri bit his lip. He realised now that he should have probably thought about what he was going to tell his parents beforehand, but it was too late now. He wasn’t exactly keen on sharing anything about Viktor’s past with them, especially because he wasn’t quite certain about it himself.

“What’s special about this omega?” Yuuri’s mother asked, when the silence stretched on.

Yuuri breathed deeply before answering.

“I want to court him,” he said.

His parents shared a look once more, their frowns deepening.

“Yuuri,” his father said and took a step forward.

“I know!” Yuuri hurried to interrupt. “I know I’m supposed to get married to someone important and whatnot. I know it, but Viktor… He’s…”

He couldn’t find the right words to express what Viktor meant to him, and it frustrated him. He wanted to let his parents know exactly how being around Viktor made him feel, how the omega had shifted the way he thought about things and how that was a quality he had always admired in people.

“You know you can have an omega and a wife,” Yuuri’s father said. “It’s good to have an omega around for your ruts. It’s better for your wife too, takes off any extra burden.”

“I didn’t think it was possible for you to have that,” his mother continued. “I’m happy if you think it’s going to work out, but that doesn’t mean that you should throw away your opportunities to marry well.”

Yuuri bit his lip and frowned.

“I don’t care about marrying well,” he said. “I only want him.”

“Yuuri,” his father said. “I know you’re certain of your feelings right now, but they will change.”

“They won’t,” Yuuri said with confidence.

His parents looked at each other. His mother sighed.

“You need to think with a clear head,” his father said. “You need to marry someone.”

“Then I’ll just marry him,” Yuuri declared.

“Yuuri,” his mother said just as gently as she always had when her son was throwing a tantrum as a little boy.

Now it didn’t calm Yuuri at all, it only infuriated him. Clearly his parents didn’t think that he could make sound decision in spite of his age.

“We brought a suitable girl for you with us,” his mother said.

That stopped Yuuri from blowing up. Instead the air inside him deflated.

“What?” he asked, certain that he had heard wrong.

“She’s a very nice girl,” his father said. “She’s younger than you, but we managed to persuade her parents to let her meet you.”

“I…” Yuuri started to say, but didn’t know what to say.

“She’s getting old,” his mother said. “They are getting a bit desperate to see her marry well. We were lucky.”

“It’s already troublesome that you’re not married at your age,” his father continued. “You must understand that.”

Yuuri was staring at them both in disbelief. His parents had never done this before. They had never pressured him into marrying someone, possibly hoping for him to find that someone on his own, but now that he had, they weren’t happy. They were offering him someone else.

“I’m in love with Viktor,” Yuuri said, because that was the only thing that seemed to make sense to him.

“Yuuri,” his mother said. “You’ll give her a chance, won’t you?”

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said. “I’ve made my decision. And I’ve made it with a clear head.”

His parents sighed.

“At least think about it,” his mother said with a small smile. “I’m sure you’ll like her once you get to know her.”

“You’ll be joining us for lunch,” his father said. “We’ll meet her in the parlour beforehand. Go get yourself cleaned up.”

“What about Viktor?” Yuuri asked.

“What about him?” his father asked.

“Don’t you want to meet him?” Yuuri asked.

“Yes, yes,” his father said, slightly absentmindedly as he turned around to focus on his clothes again. “Later. Let’s see about that after lunch.”

Yuuri wanted to argue and insist that Viktor would have to eat with them, but instead pinched his lips closed and turned on his heels to leave the room.

He was furious, and he stomped loudly along the corridor towards the guest rooms and his own room. He wasn’t sure if he was angry at his parents for not listening to him and not understanding, or himself for not insisting that they hear him out. He considered taking Viktor to the lunch anyway just to show everyone that his heart was set on the matter, but maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea.

Yuuri halted at the library door, suddenly remembering that Viktor might be there. He opened the door and looked in, but the room was empty. Viktor probably didn’t feel at home in such a large room, and had chosen to go to his own, or his nest. Yuuri smiled as he thought about the nest the omega had constructed for himself, taking some of Yuuri’s clothes to bring in his scent. It was probably rude of him to think about it as something cute, but for as long as Viktor didn’t hear him talk about it, it should be fine. His steps towards Viktor’s room were light, and he was still smiling when he stopped to knock on the door.

“It’s me, Viktor,” he called. “Can I come in?”

There was absolute silence for a moment, and then the door opened. Viktor was looking at him with big eyes, almost shy as a swirl of hair fell onto his face and covered his left eye. Without a word the omega opened the door properly and Yuuri stepped in.

“I need to talk to you,” Yuuri said.

Viktor looked at him with a frown.

“That never means a good thing,” Viktor said.

“I guess it depends on how you view it,” Yuuri said but sighed.

He walked over to the bed and sat down without a word. Viktor looked at him from a distance before slowly making his way towards him, stopping by the bed before carefully sitting down on the other side.

“My parents were so excited they wouldn’t really listen to me,” Yuuri said. “So, I’ll have to talk to them again a bit later.”

Viktor nodded, hands between his thighs.

“They brought a guest with them,” Yuuri said. “They want me to marry her.”

Viktor’s head shot up.

“I don’t want to marry her,” Yuuri said. “I…”

He couldn’t possible tell Viktor about his hopes of marrying the omega instead. Viktor probably had guessed it already, but saying it out loud was completely different.

“I don’t want to marry her,” he said again.

Viktor looked down to his lap.

“You,” he said quietly. “Shouldn’t you listen to your parents’ wishes?”

Yuuri sighed and slumped backwards, body bouncing on the bed slightly before settling.

“Maybe I should,” he said. “They have never tried to get me to marry someone before. I guess I’ve been waiting for too long.”

Viktor glanced at him before looking away.

“It’s quite amazing that they have let it go for this long,” Yuuri said, hoping that Viktor would look at him again to see how serious he was. “I’m already 24. I’m getting old.”

“You’re 24?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri turned to lie on his side to better look at the omega.

“Why are you surprised?” he asked.

“I,” Viktor said, looked around the room and shifted uncomfortably. “You don’t look that old.”

Yuuri smiled. Viktor carefully looked at him.

“I guess I should say thank you,” Yuuri said and laughed. “How old are you, Viktor?”

Viktor’s eyes widened, and he looked away.

“I’m older,” he said quietly.

“That’s okay,” Yuuri said. “I figured you’re not in your teens anymore.”

Viktor looked at him with a small frown, but seemed to relax when he saw Yuuri smiling. Yuuri wondered if he should have read Viktor’s date of birth from the missing-poster, because he was curious. He hadn’t read it because he wanted to get as much information straight from Viktor as he could, and it wouldn’t be fair for him to go gathering information behind the omega’s back when the omega had no way of doing the same about him.

“I don’t care,” Yuuri said. “I think you’re perfect as you are.”

Viktor laughed quietly.

“Maybe you should marry her,” he said.

“I don’t want to,” Yuuri said.

“You don’t know that yet,” Viktor whispered.

Yuuri turned to lie on his stomach.

“I already told you that I want to court you,” he said. “Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

He glanced at Viktor, whose face was flushing. Then he turned to look at the closet and its closed doors. He thought about the night he had spent with Viktor inside that closet, in the nest that Viktor had built from his beddings and a few items of clothing he had stolen from Yuuri’s laundry basket. Yuuri thought about bringing it up, but decided to let it go. He should keep his mouth shut about things that would undoubtedly make Viktor feel uncomfortable or ashamed.

“Were you reading something?” Yuuri asked.

He turned to see Viktor nod.

“Anything interesting?” he asked.

Viktor nodded again. Yuuri leaned his cheek on his hands and looked at Viktor. The omega looked so tall from down there. He looked gorgeous, even if his body was suffering from neglect.

“I’m glad,” Yuuri said and closed his eyes.

He should leave, get changed into something neater and go meet the girl who could be his future bride, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to stay with Viktor, even if it was just this quiet togetherness. The room was already starting to smell like Viktor too, and Yuuri wondered if the omega often took his collar off when he was alone.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said and opened his eyes to look at the omega again. “I’m sorry to say, but you’re not invited to the lunch today.”

Viktor turned his head away and said nothing.

“No matter what, I’ll make sure to have you there for the dinner,” Yuuri said.

He saw Viktor smile before the omega turned his head away more.

“I don’t mind,” the omega said quietly.

“But I do,” Yuuri said.

He bounced up to kneel next to Viktor.

“You’re important to me,” he said. “And I’m going to make sure that everyone knows that.”

Viktor was trying to hide his smile, but Yuuri caught it.

“I’ll have food delivered to you here,” he said. “I’ll make sure you get plenty.”

“I’m fine,” Viktor said, but Yuuri thought he was probably only arguing for argument’s sake and not because he wasn’t pleased.

“I know you are,” Yuuri said. “I know.”

Without thinking much, he leaned closer and kissed Viktor’s cheek, before climbing out of the bed.

“I need to go,” he said. “I’ll be back later.”

He turned to look at Viktor by the door, but the omega was looking out the window. He smiled at the way sunlight made Viktor look like he was glowing, before leaving.

As Yuuri hurried to his room, his smile dropped off his lips. What was he thinking, kissing Viktor like that? He should have made sure it was okay to touch the omega, he should have thought instead of doing something like that.

The door slammed shut behind him and he leaned against it.

Was Viktor angry? Scared? Disgusted?

He would have to apologise after lunch and make sure that the omega knew that he respected all the boundaries that Viktor might want to set to them. He had thought he was doing fine, and now he let himself slip like this.

Berating himself loudly in his head, Yuuri pulled off his clothes and looked for new ones in the walk-in closet where he stored his better outfits. As much as he disliked the idea of meeting someone for the sole purpose of his parents trying to talk him into marrying them, he would have to remain polite and dress properly for the occasion. He hoped that the girl would be rude or unpleasant so he would have a proper reason to say no to the marriage. Even if she was just ugly, he could work with that. But if she was kind and polite it would be much harder to justify not marrying her simply to keep living in the hopes of one day marrying Viktor.

Marrying Viktor. As much as Yuuri wanted that to become reality, he knew it was close to impossible. First, Viktor would have to grow to trust him, and so far, it was hard to say how he was doing with that. Viktor seemed to be less nervous around him and shared more information about his past, but it was still little bits and pieces that didn’t help Yuuri much in understanding the omega. Then at times it seemed that Viktor was completely shut down and would gladly never talk to anyone ever again.

The second part was trying to convince Yuuri’s parents that marrying an omega wasn’t a mistake. Sure, the marriage wouldn’t help solidify their position, but it wouldn’t exactly bring it down either. Yuuri could argue that it was good for cross-border relations because Viktor came from the north, and it wouldn’t be frowned upon by the future king of the country, who had seemed more than happy to meet Viktor and hear that Yuuri was so happy around the omega. However, there was no way for him to explain why he hadn’t assaulted Viktor without revealing the truth about Viktor being a stray and having already belonged to another alpha before. He was not excited about this opportunity to tell his parents that he had scented another alpha’s property – even though technically Viktor belonged to the state – and that he had done the mistake of taking off an omega’s collar while being under the impression that the said omega was unclaimed.

Of course, his parents could always return to their argument that you don’t marry omegas. You own omegas for your own comfort. They’re not people to marry. They’re not people at all.

Yuuri bit his lip as he got dressed and thought. His parents weren’t exactly strictly against omegas having rights – after all, they were always supportive when he had ended up taking in an omega to help them recover from their street life and then find them a home with someone who knew how to care for another person. However, Yuuri could see almost no way for them to accept an omega as their son’s spouse.

Feeling dejected, Yuuri headed out to the parlour. He was trying to think about something else to not appear so gloomy, but couldn’t help it. He wanted to have the kind of life he wanted, and having his parents try to stop him was weighing him down.

Maybe they should have intervened a long time ago. They should have talked to him when he was 19 and told him that he should get married because his life was going nowhere. They shouldn’t have let him live by his own rules until he had gotten used to it and then expect him to change everything because he was getting too old to be unmarried.

Yuuri stopped by the parlour door to breathe. He couldn’t go in looking like someone dear to him had just died, but he felt like a part of him might have died the first time his parents said that he wouldn’t be marrying Viktor, the first time his parents implied that Viktor wasn’t enough for him.

If only Viktor didn’t have such a complicated past, Yuuri would go back upstairs and bring the omega with him just to say that he has made up his mind. Just to show everyone that Viktor is more than an omega, that he is the right person to keep Yuuri’s life going. Just because he was suddenly scared of meeting a girl his parents wanted him to marry, and he would have done anything to have a friend by his side.

There was no way to delay the future, so Yuuri opened the parlour door and stepped inside.

“Yuuri, finally,” his mother said with a big smile as he entered.

His eyes were quickly drawn to the attractive young girl in the room. She had red hair and pale skin, and Yuuri couldn’t believe that his parents had brought back someone from the northern region for him to marry. It was ridiculous. It was so stupid that he wanted to laugh like mad and storm out of the room.

“This is Mila Babicheva,” Yuuri’s father said. “She will be visiting us for a while.”

Yuuri stepped forward and greeted the girl, whose smile was sunny and sincere. Her eyes were blue, their colour much deeper than Viktor’s eyes, and there was nothing pretentious about her.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said politely, and it wasn’t forced politeness.

It was just as natural as Yuuri’s politeness, and Yuuri knew exactly why his parents had thought that they would make a good couple.

*

After lunch, Yuuri was ready to bolt back upstairs, but his parents suggested he give Mila a tour of their garden, and Yuuri found himself walking around the beautiful garden in perfect sunlight with the gorgeous girl. He had learned that she was six years younger than him, and he cursed the world for putting an amazing girl at just the right age for marriage in his parents’ path.

When they started their journey deeper into the garden, Yuuri wondered if Viktor could see them. If Viktor happened to be watching out his window. What would the omega think? Yuuri had no idea how Viktor really felt about him, but from what had happened between them, he was assuming that his feelings weren’t completely unrequited. Viktor felt something if he was ready to scent Yuuri and let the alpha sleep in his nest. Not to mention staying in the house in the first place. That must have been a hard decision for Viktor to make, since he had lived on the streets for years, not trusting any alphas that crossed his path.

“Am I boring you?” Mila asked, and suddenly Yuuri became aware of the fact that the girl had been talking to him.

Yuuri guiltily turned his head to look at the girl next to him.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “My thoughts were elsewhere.”

Mila smiled. It made her eyes shine brighter and her face light up. Yuuri smiled back, but he felt how forced it was, and when he turned his head away, it fell off his lips immediately.

They arrived to the pond at the end of the garden and sat down on the bench there. Mila was watching the fish swim around the calm water, and Yuuri hated how endearing her excitement was.

“This is probably something I shouldn’t do,” Yuuri said, “but I need to talk to you.”

Mila’s attention was immediately on him, and she looked serious.

“Okay,” she said with an encouraging little smile on her red lips.

“I’m sorry for being this blunt and breaking every rule there is,” Yuuri said. “I just can’t keep this up. I’m sorry.”

Mila’s lips puckered slightly as she considered his words.

“I know my parents are hoping for us to marry,” he continued. “However, they were unaware of the fact that my heart already belongs to someone.”

“Oh,” Mila said, but didn’t sound disappointed in the least. “That’s unfortunate.”

“I met him while they were gone,” Yuuri said.

“It’s that recent,” Mila responded. “How do you know this person is the one?”

Yuuri looked at the water’s surface, how small ripples shattered the calm.

“I just know,” he said. “Ever since I met him, I knew.”

“Wow,” Mila said in awe. “Not many people can say they have experienced that.”

“I guess so,” Yuuri said. “I couldn’t talk to my parents properly yet, but I’m going to do it soon.”

“After you’re done escorting me around?” Mila asked and laughed. “I’m sorry to say, but your frustration was apparent when your parents suggested it.”

Yuuri groaned.

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I wish things were different.”

“It’s okay,” Mila said. “If you want to, I can just tell my parents I think you’re too old for me after all.”

Yuuri chuckled.

“That might be helpful,” he said. “I’m not all that keen on seeming like the bad guy who ruined your amazing future.”

Mila laughed heartily. Yuuri almost wished that he didn’t have to turn her down.

“These things happen,” she said. “Maybe now I’ll be free to pursuit my heart’s desire.”

“I hope so,” Yuuri said sincerely.

They were quiet. Mila was smiling, watching the fish again. Yuuri looked up to the clear sky.

“Hey, you were talking about “him”,” Mila then said, “so is your lover an omega?”

Yuuri felt his cheeks heat up immediately. He nodded.

“You’re brave to pursue such a love,” Mila said. “What a shame. It makes you all the more desirable.”

Yuuri laughed.

“I’m really sorry that it had to be like this,” he said. “But you’re such a lovely person. I’m sure you’ll find happiness with someone who can appreciate you fully.”

Mila placed a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. There was something reassuring in the touch, and Yuuri sighed in relief. If only his parents were as easy to convince.

“Unfortunately, you’re going to have to deal with me for a while longer,” Mila said. “After all, your parents invited me to stay for a full month.”

“Oh, right,” Yuuri said. “Well, I’m sure I’ll be much better company now that you know my situation.”

“You’ve been absolutely delightful so far,” Mila said happily. “Don’t worry so much.”

“Easier said than done,” Yuuri muttered, and Mila responded with a laugh.

*

When they returned from the garden, Yuuri left Mila with her travel companions and went to look for his parents. He was glad to find them alone rather than in the company of someone, and he was quick to get to the point.

“I need you to listen to me,” he said. “I need you to understand my feelings.”

“How did you like Mila?” his mother asked. “Isn’t she wonderful?”

“I’m not talking about her,” Yuuri said as confidently as he could. “I’m talking about Viktor.”

“Who is Viktor?” his father asked.

“He’s…” Yuuri took a moment to think what to say. “He’s the love of my life.”

His parents looked at each other, and Yuuri found it infuriating.

“I have never felt this way about anyone,” he said. “I will never feel this way about someone else, no matter what. I have already decided to spend my life with him, if he will allow me.”

“If he will allow you?” his parents asked.

“Are we talking about the omega?” his mother asked to clarify.

“Yes,” Yuuri said. “And he has a past full of issues, which is why it’s hard for him… It’s hard for both of us to find common trust and let our relationship evolve. And it’s also why you two need to let me do it on my own and in my terms. I will do whatever it takes to make him feel at home and like he can trust people. I have already seen how hard it is, and I already know how much heartache it’s going to cause me, but I’m willing to do it for him. Because he deserves it.”

His mother was frowning gently, and his father sat down on a chair.

“I will not have him treated as an omega,” Yuuri continued now that he had his parents’ attention. “He is my… my fiancé. He’s a person and I want him treated with the same respect you would treat another visitor.”

Yuuri wasn’t sure if his parents’ silence was a good or a bad thing. He felt anxious, waiting for them to say something.

“Yuuri, darling,” his mother said. “I can see you’re determined, but have you really thought it through?”

“I have,” Yuuri said immediately. “I’m willing to dedicate my entire life to making him feel better if that’s what it takes.”

His father sighed. That can’t have been a good sign. Yuuri’s heart was in his throat as he waited for him to say something.

“Do you realise how unheard of it is for an alpha to marry an omega?” his father asked.

“I do,” Yuuri said. “However, it’s not as rare as you may think.”

“It is,” his mother pointed out.

“I don’t care,” Yuuri said. “I’m sorry if it disappoints you, but I’m going to make my own life.”

His parents looked at each other. They seemed to be having a silent conversation between them, but Yuuri wasn’t as worried any longer. He felt like he had gotten through to both of them.

“Well,” his father said. “We should probably meet this omega- young man then.”

“I will bring him to you immediately,” Yuuri said.

He turned around and left the room, not bothering to explain that Viktor wasn’t as young as they might have thought he was. They would see it for themselves soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, hello. Depression hasn't been treating me very well lately, so I couldn't get this chapter done sooner. The (un)funny thing is that I wrote this like two weeks ago but then just didn't have the drive or proper focus to edit. Hopefully this slump is now ending and I can return to updating more often! Although I've also started to play The Sims again, and if you think that I spend several hours a day playing instead of writing, you're absolutely correct! Haha. Ha.


	9. Chapter 9

After eating what the servants had bought him, Viktor went to lie in his nest. He took out the book he had found from the library, and eyed the cover. He wasn’t used to reading such difficult books, but he had made slow progress of the pages one at a time. It was a book about omegas and their behaviour, and probably one of the books Yuuri had been reading in hopes of understanding Viktor better. It stirred Viktor’s heart to know that he and Yuuri had read the same words, the same letters of the same pages. It was like gazing into each other’s eyes through the pages of the book.

Before he could open the book again, his thoughts returned to the kiss Yuuri had placed on his cheek. It had been soft and unassuming, warm and friendly, and after Yuuri had left, Viktor had cried a bit because he had never felt such love on someone’s lips. He had never been kissed on the cheek by anyone, and he had never thought it could be so intimate and not at the same time. It made his heart swell with happiness, knowing that Yuuri wanted to touch him like that, knowing that Yuuri thought fondly of him, and it wasn’t so much that it would turn the happiness into bitter fear of being touched too much.

The nest smelled like Yuuri, and Viktor sighed. He thought about their conversation in the morning. The alpha had, once more, told him that even if they bonded, Viktor could remain free. Viktor wondered if Yuuri had paid the book much attention after all, because surely it explained how Viktor was feeling about him. Surely the pages held in them the fact that Viktor was already turning away from his freedom just because Yuuri’s scent was calling for him. He hoped the book would explain it, because he didn’t understand why it was happening. It had never happened with _that alpha_. He had never known it could happen, and a part of him was scared that there was something sketchy going on. Was Yuuri perhaps affecting him without his knowledge? Was there something wrong with him? Or was this one more fact of life that Viktor had never known about because of his lack of education? He had never known to ask about this from Yakov because it wasn’t happening.

Viktor opened the book from where he had left off, and started the slow process of reading the words. He didn’t struggle with reading them, per se, but understanding what they meant. He was used to reading stories. He had mainly had access to children’s books. Having sometimes shuffled through the pages of text books at Yakov’s was nothing compared to actually trying to read one to understand something he didn’t understand yet.

So far, the book had only managed to anger him. On top of being difficult and slow to read, it was painting a picture of omegas as their own species, separate from the rest of human beings, and in need of special care. He wondered if the writer had been an alpha, who was simply trying to justify his foul ways of handling omegas.

Despite his anger, Viktor continued reading. He couldn’t think of much else to do, and the alternative was thinking about his complicated feelings or fearing for Yuri’s safety.

Time passed slowly and Viktor got more frustrated with every page he finished. He didn’t know why the author had to explain things in such a complicated manner. He didn’t understand why there was a need for such books, although he was already also seeing how it could be useful for him to understanding his body better. He had already gotten confirmation to what he knew about omegas having no control over their heat cycles, and that felt good. At least he knew that the information in the book was accurate.

Putting the book away, Viktor got out of the nest. He went to the bathroom and wondered how he should go about drawing himself a bath. He walked over to the cauldron only to confirm that it wasn’t on, and the water inside was cool. He returned to the bedroom and looked at the string of satin hanging next to the bed. He knew that Yuuri had told him several times that it was okay for him to call for a servant, but he couldn’t imagine doing so. How could he have a permission to do something like that, when it was clearly a thing people of higher status did? He was just an omega. He was a servant of a kind, used for sex and small chores. Did that place him under the beta servants? Or was he more important because he was taken to their master’s bed?

Viktor stood still until his legs wanted to move. He thought about going back to the nest and sleep because he couldn’t think of anything else to do, but he wasn’t used to sleeping so much. He probably wouldn’t even fall asleep, and his thoughts would just start running around in his head and he would get worked up over everything.

Before deciding anything definite, he walked over to the door and opened it, slowly peeking out to the hallway. It was empty, but he could hear people talking and walking around. The house had completely changed now that it wasn’t just Yuuri and his few servants. Now there was life everywhere, and suddenly the size of the building was starting to make sense.

Viktor didn’t like it.

He was used to being around people, always hearing someone walking right around the corner, but back then he had been invisible. Now, he was standing out because he didn’t belong in this house, no matter what Yuuri said. As much as the alpha or he might want this to be his home, it wasn’t.

The servants or guards who had been away wouldn’t even know who he was, and they would think he was an intruder and they would chase him away.

With heart beating hard, Viktor sneaked out of his room and along the hallway. He was pressed against the wall, moving very slowly and trying to stay silent. He got all the way to the library door without anyone spotting him, and he slipped inside as quickly and quietly as he could.

The library was empty, and Viktor was thankful for the feeling of being surrounded by books and not people. He may not have been used to being around so many books, but at least it was the least unnerving thing about living in the Katsuki household.

When Viktor still lived up north, he had always loved visiting Yakov, because the man had a vast collection of books compared to what Viktor had at home. Now that he saw this library, Yakov’s collection paled in comparison, and a part of Viktor felt stupid for never having read any serious books that increased knowledge rather than entertainment. He went over to the shelf where he had found the book about omegas in the hopes of finding another book that was similar but easier to understand. He was happy to note that he had stumbled upon a section that focused on literature about omegas, and proceeded to read the titles in the hopes of somehow knowing which one would be at his level the most.

Viktor was so focused that he overlooked the sound of the door opening, and only jumped back when a sharp voice called out.

“Hey!”

Viktor turned to look to the door, and saw Michele standing in the doorway.

“Oh,” the beta said. “It was just you. I didn’t recognise you with the hair.”

Viktor lifted a hand to his short hair, suddenly feeling self-conscious again. The beta looked at him with an intense gaze, and Viktor wanted to hide behind the desk he was leaning against.

“So,” Michele said and cleared his throat. “Is everything fine? Do you need something?”

Viktor couldn’t help but stare. He knew that Yuuri must have told his servants to take care of him, he knew that Yuuri had probably made sure that the entire household knew that he should be entitled to being helped, but being offered help was so unusual for him that he didn’t know how to respond. Not to mention the person offering help was this beta who had scowled at him from the moment he woke up after being brought in and who steered clear of him because he had scratched him in self-defence. He looked at Michele’s arm, and the bandage was gone.

“No need to look so alarmed,” Michele said.

Viktor opened his mouth to respond to that, but couldn’t think of anything to say, so he closed it again.

“Is there anything you need?” the beta asked again. “Do you need your room cleaned?”

Viktor shook his head.

“Do you need food?” Michele continued asking, and Viktor shook his head again. “Company? Help finding a book?”

The beta stepped farther inside the room and closed the door behind himself. Viktor felt like he was trapped now, and tried to take a step back, but was stopped by the desk behind him.

“Is there a specific book you want to read?” Michele repeated.

Viktor glanced at the shelf and the books in it before looking back at the beta.

“Are you hoping to read about omegas?” the beta asked, walking over to Viktor. “Funny. I thought you’d already know everything there is to know.”

“I don’t,” Viktor said quietly.

The beta turned to look at him before turning back to the books.

“How well read are you?” he asked, eyeing the books.

Viktor didn’t know how to respond, because he didn’t know how good he was at anything other than cooking or cleaning up. His education had stopped after he presented as an omega and his new master hadn’t continued teaching him anything new. Michele glanced at him again.

“Do you read well?” he asked.

“Okay,” Viktor replied quietly.

“I assume you haven’t received education since you presented,” the beta continued, eyes still focused on the books before him. “That’s usually the case with lower class alphas and their omegas.”

Viktor didn’t know if it was true that there was a different between alphas and what they let their omegas do outside of their typical duties in the bedroom and around the house. He found it hard to imagine that an omega would know more than he did.

“I suggest you start with something basic,” Michele said and pulled a book out of the shelf. “You probably haven’t had much time to read on the streets, so maybe it’s good to get used to it with something easy.”

The beta turned to Viktor and presented him with the small book on his hand. It looked like a children’s book, and a part of Viktor wanted to turn away in contempt over the beta underestimating his abilities, but then he took the offered book.

“Is there any part of being an omega you want to read about?” Michele asked.

He was now looking at Viktor rather than the books, and it was unnerving. Viktor looked down to the floor between them, and said nothing. He missed having his hair to shield him from people’s looks.

After a moment, Michele turned back to the books in search of something. He hummed to himself before walking over to the other side of the room and taking a book out of the shelf. It was bigger than the one he had handed over to Viktor, and he looked at it with a contemplative frown for quite a while before pulling another book and returning the first one to the shelf. Viktor watched him leaf through the new book before a small nod of approval, but turned his eyes to the floor when the beta returned to him.

“I think you would benefit from reading this,” he said and handed the book to Viktor.

The omega took the offered book hesitantly and read the title. “The Scars of Domestic Abuse.” He raised his head and looked at the beta, whose face had moulded to something softer than the usual scowl he had on when he regarded Viktor.

“You should give it a try,” Michele said.

Viktor kept quiet, and the beta cleared his throat again and turned to the books next to them. Viktor thought that it was just a way for him to stop looking at the omega, but soon the beta took another book from the shelf and held it out for him.

“I guess I would recommend this too,” he said.

Viktor took the offered book that was called “Building a Relationship: From Alpha to Omega.” He glanced at the beta, whose face had returned to its usual scowl.

“Those two aren’t quite as easy to read,” Michele said. “But I guess you can manage if your reading really is okay.”

Viktor looked down at the three books he was now holding. His cheeks were burning in the shame of knowing that he was, after all, lower than this beta who worked as a servant.

“Well,” Michele said and crossed his arms. “Anything else you need?”

Viktor couldn’t look up. He was afraid he might cry, so he kept his eyes glued on the books until the cover of the topmost book was starting to blur. Then he closed his eyes, hearing how the beta was still there, waiting for something. Viktor was starting to feel panic rising in him. How could he get rid of the beta? How could he be alone again?

“You need a bath, don’t you?” Michele asked.

His voice startled Viktor, who opened his teary eyes and carefully looked up at the beta.

“I’ll help you draw a bath,” Michele said.

Viktor was still staring, not able to react to the beta in any way. Michele gestured at him to follow, and turned to head to the door. Viktor found himself following him, a lone tear making its way down his cheek. He bit his lips together and followed the beta back to his room.

Michele turned to look at him for permission before entering the room. Viktor saw how the beta’s eyes went from the stripped bed to the closet’s closed doors, and he knew that somehow the beta knew about his nest. Viktor was afraid that Michele would try to ruin the nest to make the bed again, although the beta was already in the bathroom. Viktor hesitated on his spot, not knowing what to do. He was still standing there when the beta emerged from the bathroom.

“Is there a specific time you’d like to bathe?” he asked. “In the future, I mean. You probably want a bath every day, right?”

Viktor’s eyes widened at the question. Was he allowed to take a bath so often? He didn’t know. Yuuri hadn’t told him his rules, just kept insisting that there weren’t any, but surely there were some.

“Would you rather bathe in the morning or the evening?” Michele asked when Viktor kept quiet.

It was yet another question that shook Viktor. Was he allowed to decide something like that on his own? Did Yuuri have a specific plan for the morning or the evening that he should take into consideration before deciding? He was quickly getting overwhelmed and without his hair to provide him any cover, he took a tentative step towards the closet before stopping again, remembering that he didn’t want the beta to see it.

“Don’t overthink it,” Michele said. “What would you like better?”

Viktor bit his lip and crouched down, holding onto the books and pressing his forehead against his knees. He was trembling, and it felt unsafe.

“Are you okay?” Michele asked, but didn’t approach.

He was probably still painfully aware of Viktor’s tendency to scratch unwanted people.

“Look,” the beta said. “Katsuki-sama has made it clear that you’re allowed to ask for things. Shouldn’t you respect that?”

Viktor quickly glanced at the beta before returning to his comfort position. Was he really being disrespectful by not asking for things? He didn’t understand that. He didn’t understand how it worked.

“Okay, maybe I chose my words wrong,” Michele said. “What I mean is that you don’t have to get so worked up over something small like when to take a bath. He’s made it clear that whatever you want, goes.”

Viktor was biting his lip, eyes closed and brows furrowed. He knew that Yuuri kept telling him that he got to do what he wanted. He had now found out that the alpha had also told his servants that he was allowed to do what he wanted. Yet he still couldn’t find it in him to believe that it was true. Maybe this was a way for the alpha to find out if he was worthy of living here. Maybe Yuuri was waiting for him to get selfish so he could be punished properly. Maybe…

“Viktor,” Michele said, and that was the first time Viktor had ever head the beta use his name.

Viktor looked up at the beta, who had stepped forward a bit, a small frown on his face.

“Maybe I’m not an expert in how trauma works,” the beta said, “and maybe I should be the one reading the books I gave you, but you should know that when Yuuri says something, he means it. If he says he wants you to choose for yourself, he does want that. But I guess I also understand why it’s hard for you.”

Viktor didn’t understand what Michele meant with trauma. He only understood that they were talking about Yuuri.

“I’m not going to press you for an answer,” the beta said. “But when you feel like you are ready to decide, let me know. I’ll make sure that you’ll have hot water when you need it.”

Viktor remained staring at the beta from where he was crouching. Michele seemed sincere, but this was the first time he had shown such compassion to Viktor. Was it a ploy to make him trust Yuuri more so he would eventually slip and be punished? His head was spinning, new fears surfacing to the forefront of his mind, and he wanted the beta to leave him alone so he could curl up in the nest and stay there.

“I’m sorry I’ve been acting so rude,” Michele said. “I just wasn’t very happy to be scratched so hard.”

The beta lingered for a while longer before he turned around and returned to the bathroom. Viktor stayed still, the books pressing against his ribs painfully. When the beta didn’t return, he slowly got up, and walked over to the closet. He listened, but Michele stayed in the other room, and Viktor quietly opened the closet door and slipped inside. He buried the books under the same pillow that was already hiding the previous book he had been reading, and settled to rest his back on the wall of the nest. The closet was dark, only illuminated by the sharp light pushing through the crack on the door. It felt good there. It was safe. Viktor liked feeling invisible.

He had no idea how long it took before the beta emerged from the bathroom. Michele let out a confused sound when he saw the empty room, but then cleared his throat.

“The bath is ready,” he said.

Viktor bit his lip. Slowly he pushed the closet door open and peeked at the beta, who had turned to look at him.

“Do you want help getting washed up?” Michele asked.

Viktor shook his head in horror. He didn’t want a stranger touching him at all. He didn’t want anyone in the same room when he washed himself, because it reminded him of the times when he was at the river and tried to wash his body while constantly reminding himself that someone might be watching and waiting for him to get distracted enough.

“I’ll go then,” Michele said. “If you need me, you know what to do.”

The beta walked over to the door before turning around again.

“Oh, I forgot,” he said. “How would you like me to address you?”

Viktor’s eyes widened at the unexpected question. He couldn’t even begin to imagine being called something other than “omega” or “stupid omega” or, if the master was on a good mood, simply Viktor.

“Is Viktor too friendly?” Michele asked. “I feel like it is.”

Viktor shook his head in the hopes that it would make the beta finally leave.

“Are you sure?” Michele asked.

Viktor nodded furiously, willing the beta to walk out and leave him alone.

“Well, Viktor it is then,” Michele said. “Excuse me.”

When the door clacked shut, Viktor let out the breath he hadn’t noticed he had been holding. He waited, but the door remained closed. He got out of the closet and closed the door behind him before approaching the bathroom.

Michele had filled the bathtub with warm water. Viktor slowly took off his clothes, feeling uncertain about his safety, and hesitated for a moment longer before getting in the tub. The water felt good, and he got teary eyed just thinking about the cold wash he and Yuri had gone through a few days back. This bath was something that he could have every day, Yuuri told him. Viktor wanted to believe it. He wanted to believe it so bad that he shed a few tears before relaxing against the edge of the tub.

Time didn’t matter, for once, and Viktor slowly washed himself. When he finally got out of the tub, the water had gone cold and his fingertips were wrinkly. He rubbed himself dry with a soft towel and emptied the tub after hesitating for a moment.

When Viktor returned to the bedroom, his heart sank when he saw the bed beautifully made. He hurried to the closet and opened the doors to reveal his nest untouched. He sighed in relief and closed the doors, slumping to the bed with the towel still wrapped around his body. As much as he loved being able to bathe properly, he wasn’t sure if it was worth the stress he had to go through living with Yuuri. And his family.

That’s right, Yuuri’s parents had returned home. They wouldn’t be so accepting of him, he just knew it. Maybe they would tell Yuuri to make him leave.

The thought of not being around Yuuri felt like a dagger in Viktor’s heart. He turned to look at the window. It was a bright day.

Viktor went over to the nest and got out the books Michele had recommended for him. He went over to the bed and made a comfortable seat out of the pillows right next to the window. It was time for him to learn something new.

*

When Yuuri knocked on the door, Viktor was still nude and lying on the bed, the books scattered around him. He pulled the towel over his body before Yuuri stepped in.

“Oh, you’ve bathed,” the alpha said. “Good.”

There was something absentminded in the way he spoke.

“I have new clothes for you,” Yuuri said and walked over to the bed.

Viktor took the offered clothes from Yuuri. They were made from a soft slippery fabric with dark purple flowers on white. Viktor was almost afraid of holding the clothes in his hands; he had only ever seen such beautiful clothing on the rich people when he had wandered too far away from his usual area. He knew how expensive it was to get hand-painted fabric. He looked at Yuuri, waiting for an explanation. Surely Yuuri didn’t mean that Viktor would wear such extravagant clothes.

“Do you not like them?” Yuuri asked instead.

Viktor frowned and looked at the fabric again.

“It’s beautiful,” he said.

“Once everything’s settled, I’ll have the dressmakers make you clothes that are exactly your size,” Yuuri said and smiled.

Viktor blinked a few times. He knew what Yuuri had been telling him all along, but he wasn’t sure he could never find it in him to believe that any of it was true.

“Would you get dressed, Viktor?” Yuuri asked. “I want you to meet my parents.”

Viktor’s eyes widened and he looked up at the alpha again. Yuuri looked unusually nervous, and it did nothing to help Viktor’s nerves.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?” he asked.

“Of course,” Yuuri said. “I need them to meet you so they’ll see that I’m serious.”

“They think you’re not serious,” Viktor said.

He understood them, because he himself didn’t think that Yuuri was serious. However, he thought it for a completely different reason. Yuuri’s parents were probably thinking that this was a whim and Yuuri would get over it eventually. Making them meet Viktor would certainly not change their minds, because then they would know that Viktor wasn’t worth it.

“They’ll understand soon enough,” Yuuri said, and he sounded like he had gained most of his confidence back. “You don’t have to worry about it at all. The only thing that’s important for you is to do what you want to do.”

“What if I wanted to leave?” Viktor asked and cocked his head to the side. “Would you just let me walk away in this clothing?”

“I’m not sure what you’re trying to ask,” Yuuri said. “But of course, you can leave if that’s what you want. Although I’d be sad if you did.”

“You’d be sad if I left,” Viktor repeated softly. “Why?”

Yuuri laughed anxiously.

“Haven’t we had this discussion several times?” he asked. “I care about you.”

“What about the girl?” Viktor asked. “Shouldn’t you marry her? I won’t mind.”

“Viktor,” Yuuri said sharply and stepped forward, taking a hold of Viktor’s cheeks before the omega could dodge. “I don’t want to marry her. I will not marry her.”

Yuuri’s hold softened immediately after he stopped talking, and soon he stepped back, hands falling from Viktor’s face.

“I’m sorry,” he started to say, but went quiet when Viktor stood up.

The clothes and Viktor’s towel dropped to the floor with a soft thump, and Viktor stepped forward to stand right next to Yuuri.

“Are you thinking of marrying me?” the omega asked.

Yuuri gasped, eyes round and cheeks quickly flushing with colour.

“I would like to,” he said, voice airy.

Viktor stared at him to see what there was behind those words. What would the alpha gain from marrying an omega? Viktor would have assumed than rather than gain anything, he stood to lose a lot, but maybe he wasn’t seeing it from the right angle. Maybe there was something he was missing because of cultural differences or the way alphas’ minds worked.

“I don’t care what anyone says,” Yuuri said, sounding like this was the last thing he wanted to be talking about. “I only want you, Viktor.”

Viktor could see how the alpha started to raise a hand, but then let it drop back. He couldn’t find any signs of deception from Yuuri’s face or his scent. He wasn’t sure if it concerned him because it might mean that Yuuri was seriously considering marriage with an omega or because it might mean that the alpha was much better at hiding his true intentions than Viktor was used to.

“Of course,” Yuuri suddenly burst out, “I don’t expect you to want that yet! I’m not going to force you or anything. You need to trust me first, and I know it’s hard, but-.”

Viktor caught Yuuri’s lips in a kiss. As their lips met, he felt something electric in his body, like his blood was suddenly awakened from a deep sleep, like he could suddenly feel each part of himself at once down to the tips of his hair. And in the next moment he frowned at himself, because he didn’t understand why he was kissing Yuuri. He hadn’t decided it, he had simply done it, and it was confusing. Why would he kiss an alpha? Why would he want to get close to an alpha he hardly even knew?

It took a heart-beat before Yuuri was kissing back. The alpha raised his hands and softly placed them to the small of Viktor’s back, and that wiped the omega’s head clear of any intrusive thoughts. Yuuri’s hands were warm and soft, his lips were slightly chapped and dry, but Viktor had never felt so good. He had always thought that kissing was quite disgusting, he was waiting for the aversion to hit him, but instead Yuuri lifted one hand to the back of his head to press their lips closer, and Viktor was glad that the alpha had a hold of him so he wouldn’t collapse. His knees were weak in the same way they got when he was just at the verge of his heat, his heart was beating with the same intensity it did when his heat had just began shaking his body, and even though he opened his mouth, Yuuri didn’t force a slick tongue inside. Yuuri’s tongue licked gently over Viktor’s lips before the alpha pulled back, hands still holding Viktor and eyes closed. Viktor watched how they fluttered open, and his heart twisted in a funny way.

Yuuri moved both his hands to Viktor’s cheeks again, thumbs stroking his skin, and the alpha smiled.

“Viktor,” he said. “You want the truth. The truth is, that I want you. I want all of you so bad, but I will wait for the rest of my life if I have to, because I love you too much to ever knowingly hurt you.”

“I don’t understand why,” Viktor whispered.

Yuuri laughed once.

“I don’t understand it either,” he said. “I never felt like this for anyone. I never thought I could feel this way. I thought that all the stories of love sweeping you off your feet and making you want to do stupid things were make-believe, yet here I am.”

For the first time since meeting Yuuri, Viktor didn’t want to put the alpha down by pointing out that he had just implied that being with Viktor was a stupid thing.

“What does it mean to be in love?” Viktor asked instead.

He wanted to know, because he didn’t understand what Yuuri meant by it. He knew what he had read in the books over his life, but from early on in his life as an omega he had also learned that the books were just a fantasy and reality would never measure up. He had learned that love was not meant for omegas.

“You can’t explain it,” Yuuri said. “You feel it.”

Viktor found the answer most unsatisfactory, but he wasn’t in the mood to argue, so he let it slide. Instead he came to realise that he was still standing so close to Yuuri their chests were brushing together when they shifted, and he hurriedly took a step back. Yuuri didn’t try to follow him, but the alpha was smiling.

“I hope that one day you can trust me,” he said. “I hope that you’ll tell me exactly what your life has been like, so I can do everything I can to help you move on.”

Viktor took one more step back, the behinds of his knees hitting the bed and sending him down.

“But for now,” Yuuri said and sighed, “I guess it’s time we go talk to my parents.”

“Are they going to hate me?” Viktor asked, and bent down to pick up the clothes he had dropped.

“No,” Yuuri said. “Maybe they won’t immediately love you either, but they won’t hate you.”

“Have you ever,” Viktor started to ask, but wasn’t sure how to put it. “When you’ve brought in some omegas, have they ever met them?”

Yuuri scratched his chin.

“Not really,” he said. “They’re busy with their stuff so I don’t want to waste their time.”

“They’re a waste of time, huh? Those omegas?” Viktor asked, but without bite.

“That’s not what I meant,” Yuuri said, clearly prepared to explain himself, but Viktor interrupted before he could start.

“I know,” he said.

The alpha was stunned to silence, and Viktor inspected the clothing he had to wear. He got up to slip on the loose-fitting trousers before lifting up the tunic that was the garment with purple flowers. Viktor slipped it on, and noticed that it wasn’t exactly as long on him as it should have been.

“It looks fine,” Yuuri said. “But I won’t be pleased until you have properly fitted clothes to wear.”

“I don’t mind,” Viktor said.

Yuuri looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.

“Does it make you feel like I’m treating you wrong?” he asked. “I mean, when you were living with an alpha, he bought you fancy clothes, didn’t he? Does me wanting to buy you proper clothes make you feel like I’m trying to own you?”

Viktor bit his lip. He was surprised that he hadn’t thought about it like that. He should have. He was losing focus, and it was dangerous.

“Maybe a bit,” he said before the silence could stretch on for too long.

“Well,” Yuuri said, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “Would you prefer not getting new clothes? I want to give them to you as a present. I’m not trying to dress you up just for show, Viktor.”

“I know,” Viktor whispered.

His sudden reluctance to talk back was equally concerning to him forgetting to think about all the angles of Yuuri’s offers.

“Think about it, will you?” Yuuri asked. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, but aren’t ill-fitting clothes also uncomfortable?”

Viktor didn’t say anything, and after a moment’s silence Yuuri smiled and reached for his hand.

“Let’s go meet my parents.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm making slow progress of chapter 10 and I would probably feel better holding onto this chapter for a bit longer but also it's done so why not.
> 
> Also here's something funny: during my slump I didn't touch this fic in quite a while, and then when I read this chapter I was surprised that they kissed! How am I so good at forgetting my own writing I can't believe it


	10. Chapter 10

Yuuri was on edge during the entire time he and Viktor spent with his parents, but to his relief his parents didn’t say anything bad about the situation or omegas in general. It was surprising to see Viktor act so shy; the omega tried to hide behind Yuuri, failing miserably due to his height, of course, and Yuuri had concluded that Viktor had replaced hiding behind his hair with swirling the tips of his hair in his fingers.

When they left Yuuri’s parents, Viktor was quiet, but that wasn’t unusual. Yuuri was, however, anxious to hear what the omega thought of his parents. He kept his cool until they were back in Viktor’s room and the omega had sat down on the edge of the bed.

“So,” Yuuri said slowly. “How was it?”

“Okay,” Viktor said.

“My father’s a beta,” Yuuri said conversationally in the hopes of not intimidating Viktor into silence. “He doesn’t scare you, does he?”

“He does,” Viktor said very quietly.

“Oh,” Yuuri let out and stopped edging towards the bed. “Why?”

“Because,” Viktor said but let the rest of his sentence hang in the air until it dropped.

“I think they like you,” Yuuri said.

Viktor turned to look at him with a face Yuuri hadn’t seen before.

“They don’t like me,” Viktor said. “They were only being polite for your sake.”

“You don’t know that,” Yuuri said.

Suddenly he recognised Viktor’s face as pity.

“At least they don’t hate you,” Yuuri said.

Hearing his own words, he realised how stupid it sounded.

“They wish I was anywhere but here,” Viktor said. “They badly want you to marry that girl, don’t they?”

Yuuri sighed. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to Viktor.

“I know they do,” he said. “I have never disappointed them like this.”

He was slumping. He tried straightening his back, but the knowledge of being a disappointment to his parents kept weighing him down. He was ready to go on a long rant in his head, when Viktor took a hold of his hand. Viktor’s touch was soft and warm, the omega’s slender fingers dancing over Yuuri’s skin before settling, intertwining their fingers after a short pause. Yuuri turned to look at Viktor, who was watching the way their hands were clasped together.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said.

The omega didn’t look up. Yuuri found himself leaning closer. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something in Viktor was pulling him closer. He didn’t realise how close he was before Viktor turned his head and their noses brushed together.

“Oh,” Viktor gasped, his voice sweet in surprise, and Yuuri felt how his cheeks were burning.

Viktor was right there, hardly even apart from Yuuri. Their hands were squeezed together, palms getting sweaty but neither cared. Yuuri saw the omega’s eyes drop to his lips, and he wanted to kiss Viktor so bad, wanted it much more than he had wanted anything in his life, but he had to hold back. He wasn’t sure how Viktor would take it. He couldn’t make Viktor feel uncomfortable. He had to think about Viktor’s feelings, his fears and anxieties that made his life into a storm.

Viktor’s eyes were a soft blue, and Yuuri had just enough time to think about how good it would be to keep watching those eyes look at him, how he would gladly drown inside their deep colour, before Viktor closed the distance between them and kissed him.

It was much like their first kiss had been, and Yuuri was momentarily paralysed by the emotions drowning all thought. He then sprung to action, making sure to kiss back so Viktor would know it wasn’t the wrong thing to do. It was right, it was the most right anything had ever been in Yuuri’s life, and if he was to die that day, he would go happily. He lifted his free hand to stroke Viktor’s face, dragged his fingertips down to the omega’s neck and collar, before stopping at his shoulder. Viktor shivered, and Yuuri pressed against him harder, because he was desperate to taste the omega. He wanted to take everything he could get, yet he found himself still being able to restraint himself so that he wasn’t taking but Viktor was giving. Yuuri wanted to let go of Viktor’s hand to touch him more, but instead he squeezed a bit harder and gasped quietly when Viktor lifted his own hand to Yuuri’s hair.

When the omega’s fingers pressed against Yuuri’s scalp, the alpha couldn’t stop whimpering into the kiss. He found his control slipping, his tongue trailing over Viktor’s lips in a request, but the omega kept his mouth closed. Yuuri pushed a bit harder, forcing his tongue between the lips, but when he met teeth, he pulled back completely.

“Sorry,” he panted, blushing at how the kiss had left him breathless. “I don’t want to force you.”

Viktor didn’t look as shaken as Yuuri would have expected, which must have been a good sign. They had probably stopped just at the right time.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said.

He was in awe over how far Viktor had come ever since they first met, and it had been just a matter of days. He adored this omega, this person, so much that it made his heart ache.

Disappointment flashed in his mind when Viktor let go of his hand, but then the omega took off his collar.

“Scent me?” Viktor asked timidly.

His request was nearly drowned out by his overwhelming scent. It was needy and on the edge of aroused, and Yuuri swallowed thickly to keep his head clear. His heart was beating heavily in his chest as he leaned closer and inhaled the omega’s scent.

_Take me_ , it said. _I want it. Give me everything._

Yuuri shifted closer, pressed his nose right to the scent gland on Viktor’s neck and closed his eyes.

_I’m yours. I trust you. It has to be you._

Yuuri found himself opening his mouth, and then he sensed it.

_I’m still scared and uncertain._

Yuuri didn’t know what his nature had been telling him to do, but the moment he smelled the layer of discomfort in Viktor, he pulled his face away and looked up to the omega’s unreadable expression.

He didn’t know what was the right thing to do. He wanted to ask Viktor if he was sure, he wanted to do something to make the omega more comfortable, but then he decided to do what had been requested of him.

With a smile Yuuri leaned in, this time bringing their scent glands together. He heard Viktor’s quiet moan right when the euphoria flooded him. This time was more intense than the previous times, and Yuuri couldn’t even begin to try to disguise his groans as something other than what they were. Viktor didn’t seem to mind, though, as his scent was now heavily dominating the air, Yuuri’s own scent quickly catching up with intensity. His thoughts were foggy, the only thing clear in his head being the message of comfort and arousal in Viktor’s scent. He was breathing heavily, he felt how Viktor rubbed his neck against his own, how the omega took a hold of the hem of his shirt. Viktor exhaled shakily, pressed closer, their chests were resting against one another, and Yuuri was so overwhelmed by it all that he lost all sense of time and space. He wanted to push Viktor down, he wanted to claim the omega as his own, but the thin layer of fear in Viktor’s scent kept him from doing so.

Instead, Yuuri found himself being pushed down, his back colliding with the soft bed, Viktor’s neck never leaving his. Viktor was a warm wave, his scent intermingling with Yuuri’s own, pouring in through his pores. Viktor’s voice was the shiver that ran down Yuuri’s spine, his breathy moans tingling Yuuri’s ear, mixing in with Yuuri’s own groans of satisfaction. And their scents hung around them heavy, swirling together as they became one, and Yuuri felt Viktor’s back under his palm as he pulled the omega closer to his body, closer to him.

Viktor was the one to pull back this time, but he didn’t do it in a rush. He slowly lifted his head, his eyes half-lidded and face glowing with content, and then the omega’s lips sought out Yuuri’s, and their kiss was unhurried and sweet. Viktor’s hands were clammy over Yuuri’s cheeks. Yuuri found both of his hands on Viktor’s back, and he felt how Viktor shifted as they kissed. Yuuri could feel the bones through Viktor’s skin and it scared him, but he channelled the fear into the kiss, lips brushing against Viktor with as much love as he knew. Viktor pulled back a little before tentatively licking his tongue over Yuuri’s lips, and Yuuri was melting: his mouth opened to a moan, to welcome Viktor’s touch, and slowly the omega explored the inside of his lips. Yuuri met Viktor’s tongue with his own, in just the smallest of touches, but the omega startled backwards before returning. Yuuri realised he was holding his breath, and focused to breathing again, letting Viktor explore the entrance to his mouth with all the care he wanted.

When Viktor sucked on Yuuri’s lower lip, Yuuri felt a familiar twist in his gut. He immediately pushed Viktor away, careful to not appear rejecting.

“Viktor, we need to stop,” he said, completely out of breath.

Viktor looked at him with big eyes, and Yuuri wanted to do anything but stop. However, he knew exactly how his body worked, and if they didn’t stop now that he was still relatively calm, the situation might end up escalating too much for Viktor’s comfort.

Yuuri was about to explain, when Viktor sat up, straddling Yuuri’s hips, and cocked his head. Yuuri didn’t know what the expression on his face meant. He wondered if he should ask Viktor or say something more, but then Viktor simply turned to sit on the bed next to him before lying down.

“Okay,” the omega said.

“Sorry,” Yuuri said. “I liked it.”

Viktor hummed noncommittally. Yuuri wondered if that was his cue to leave, but in his confusion ended up doing nothing.

Viktor rolled around to look at him, but Yuuri was suddenly too scared to look back. What if the omega hated him now? What if he had let things go too far?

“Can I?” Viktor asked quietly, and before Yuuri could ask for clarification, he pressed his nose against Yuuri’s scent gland. “Is this too much?”

“No,” Yuuri said. “You can.”

Viktor shifted closer. His breaths were tickling the skin on Yuuri’s neck, and Yuuri swallowed. He had never known how good it could feel to have someone simply breath in his scent. He had experimented different things with Phichit, but they never included their scents in it – possibly because they were both alphas – because it felt too intimate. It felt like a threshold that you simply don’t cross. And now he was here, lying in a bed with the sweetest omega he had ever crossed paths with, who was happily breathing in his scent and pressing fluttering kisses on his skin. Viktor made a strangled sound before abruptly pulling away, and Yuuri turned to look. The omega looked confused, but then pushed Yuuri’s head out of the way again to settle back to where he had been. It didn’t take long before Yuuri realised that Viktor was purring. It had been a purr that had scared Viktor for whatever reason.

Yuuri thought about all the books he had read about omegas. He thought about what he knew about purring. It was hard to concentrate when Viktor’s content sounds kept pulling his thoughts away from the subject, but he eventually reached a conclusion: Viktor may have never had a reason to purr before.

While Yuuri knew very little about Viktor’s past life, he had heard enough to figure out that Viktor had been abused both physically and mentally. If omegas only purr when they’re happy and feel safe, maybe Viktor had never felt that way with his old alpha before. Maybe scenting hadn’t been enough to make Viktor feel secure with a violent alpha.

And while Yuuri was thinking this, he came to realise that Viktor purring now, while lying next to him in bed, while smelling his scent, could only mean that Viktor had learnt to trust him, even if it was brought on by having just been scented. Viktor felt safe with Yuuri, in this moment, while it was just the two of them together, even though Yuuri had had to push the omega away. Even after Viktor must have realised that Yuuri was close to being so aroused he might lose control.

“Why are you crying?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri sniffled and wiped the tears away with both hands before turning to look at the omega.

“I wish we had met years ago,” Yuuri said, voice slightly sticky. “I wish you never had to go through all that horrible stuff you did. I wish you could have always been safe.”

Viktor’s eyes widened and brows furrowed slightly, but he didn’t try to dodge when Yuuri wrapped his arms around his body to hold him.

“I’m sorry you’ve had to go through such horrible things,” Yuuri mumbled.

As he continued to hold Viktor, he could feel how the omega started shaking before letting out any sobs. He continued holding Viktor as the omega cried, pressed small kisses to his soft hair and murmured words of comfort. It was the first time Viktor was so openly crying in front of him, and he considered it a victory of sorts.

It also broke his heart.

Yuuri stroked Viktor’s soft hair. It felt strange to him now that the omega’s long hair was gone, but it still felt just as silky as it did before. Yuuri wondered if Viktor felt different now, if maybe he felt more free of his past with his hair gone.

“Did you cut it yourself?” Yuuri asked out loud.

Viktor sniffled before shifting so that he could look at Yuuri. He shook his head.

“Yura helped me,” he said.

Yuuri nodded.

“His hair is quite long too,” he said.

Viktor sniffled and blinked a tear out of his eye.

“I haven’t had time to cut it for him,” he said. “We’ve been busy not getting caught.”

Yuuri smiled and swirled Viktor’s hair in his fingers.

“If he wants to, I can take him to the barber as well,” he said. “I don’t know how he feels about his hair.”

“He doesn’t care, really,” Viktor said. “His hair was still short when…”

Viktor abruptly shut his mouth.

“Yeah,” Yuuri said and stroked his fingers over Viktor’s scent gland. “You can ask him.”

Viktor hummed in agreement.

Yuuri found the omega’s eyes on his lips again, and wondered if it was okay for him to approach the kiss this time. Were the past two kisses enough to establish that it was fine to touch Viktor like that?

His train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door. Viktor jumped backwards and Yuuri sat up.

“Is Katsuki-sama there?” Michele’s voice asked through the door.

“Yes, I am,” Yuuri said, cleared his throat, and hurried to the door.

He opened it only enough to look at the beta.

“The prince is here to see you,” Michele said.

“Oh,” Yuuri responded. “Let him know I’ll be right there.”

“He’s waiting in the parlour,” the beta added before Yuuri closed the door to his face.

Yuuri turned to look at Viktor, who was seeming much calmer than Yuuri expected.

“Phichit wants to see me,” he said, although he knew it wasn’t necessary. “Would you like to see him too?”

Viktor shook his head immediately.

“I can’t,” he said, but didn’t elaborate.

“I would like it if you would meet him,” Yuuri said. “He’s an important friend to me, and I would like… I’d like it if the two of you came along.”

Viktor leaned backwards on the bed, face unreadable once again.

“Of course, it’s up to you,” Yuuri hurried to add. “You don’t have to see him or talk to him if you don’t want to.”

“Maybe not right now,” Viktor said, almost as if he was trying to soothe Yuuri’s anxiety.

Yuuri blinked. He had expected more reluctance on the omega’s part.

“Okay,” he said. “Well. I should go.”

With that Yuuri turned around and opened the door.

“I’ll see you later?” Viktor asked behind him, and Yuuri closed his eyes to smile before turning around.

“I’ll see you later,” he agreed before leaving the room.

*

Phichit was lounging on an armchair in the parlour, his guards waiting outside. The prince perked up when Yuuri walked in.

“Finally!” Phichit exclaimed. “I thought you were too preoccupied to see me at all.”

Yuuri laughed nervously. He had a feeling that the alpha already knew who Yuuri had been spending time with.

“You smell like the omega again,” Phichit pointed out immediately, proving Yuuri right. “I want to hear everything! Judging from your hair, the details must be juicy.”

“Can we talk outside,” Yuuri mumbled as he turned around, hearing Phichit follow him as he tried to comb his hair into place with his fingers.

They slipped into the back garden from the backdoor, leaving most of Phichit’s guards waiting inside. Yuuri wondered how many of them had been alerted to the prince having left the building and were now trailing them as they walked through the garden to a more secluded spot.

“I heard you have a visitor,” Phichit said in a chipper voice. “Who is it? Someone I know?”

“I doubt it,” Yuuri said.

He sighed, and they stopped to sit on a bench guarded buy lush bushes.

“My parents came home with a surprise,” Yuuri said. “She’s a girl at her prime, ready to marry.”

“Ooh,” Phichit laughed. “This is much more interesting than I anticipated. Don’t leave any details out!”

Yuuri sighed again and started telling Phichit everything with a monotonous voice. He began with Mila, because everything regarding her was much easier to say out loud than anything regarding Viktor. Phichit laughed at Yuuri’s agonising in the friendly way he did when Yuuri was overthinking things.

“So,” Phichit said after he was done laughing. “Now you need to explain to me why you won’t marry a beautiful young girl.”

Yuuri squirmed in his skin. He knew that Phichit had already figured it out, but putting it in words was no less difficult. He closed his eyes.

“Because I already want to marry someone else,” he forced out.

“I thought you do,” Phichit responded.

Yuuri opened his eyes and peeked at his friend.

“Marrying an omega won’t be easy,” the prince continued. “Have you talked to your parents yet?”

Yuuri nodded.

“They weren’t all that excited,” he said quietly.

“Well,” Phichit said and jumped up. “At least your best friend is excited!”

Yuuri looked up to Phichit with a faint smile.

“And, more importantly,” Phichit added with a cheeky smile, “the prince is very excited too.”

Yuuri laughed. Phichit smiled at him and ruffled his hair. Yuuri was glad to have such a good friend who knew how to make him feel better. Phichit pulled him to his feet, and they started walking again, as Yuuri told Phichit what he had found out about Viktor’s past, careful to not divulge too many details.

“I’m happy for you, Yuuri,” Phichit said as they arrived to the fish pond. “Your position won’t stop you from marrying the person you want.”

There was a sudden shadow on Phichit’s face, rarely seen by anyone.

“What?” Yuuri asked. “Are you telling me you’ve had to turn down someone you wanted to marry?”

Phichit laughed sadly.

“I’m surprised you hadn’t guessed that,” he said. “You saw how happy I was with him.”

Yuuri frowned. He knew that Phichit was talking about the omega he had been with for a long time before it became too risky. He had known that their separation had put Phichit on a bad mood for several months, but he hadn’t realised how important the relationship had been.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Phichit looked at the water’s surface with a deep frown before raising his head and waving his hand.

“It’s all in the past now,” he said. “But Yuuri, I will make sure your story with Viktor won’t end in heartbreak.”

“I don’t even know if Viktor wants me,” Yuuri said.

“Of course, he does,” Phichit said joyfully. “Why else would he be kissing you and inviting you to his nest? Have a bit more confidence in yourself.”

Phichit started walking back to the house.

“Now I want to meet him,” the prince said, and Yuuri hurried to follow him. “I want to properly meet the man who makes you blush so cutely!”

“Phichit!” Yuuri gasped and felt how his cheeks were warming up again.

The prince laughed, and eventually Yuuri joined him too. His friend’s laughter had always been infectious.

*

Yuuri suggested that they meet Viktor in the library, thinking that it might be a more comfortable room for the omega than the parlour. He left Phichit and went over to Viktor’s room, hoping that the omega was in there so he wouldn’t have to go around looking.

When Viktor opened the door, Yuuri broke to a smile.

“Phichit would like to meet you,” he said.

“I thought he might,” Viktor said quietly.

The omega looked uncertain, and Yuuri stepped into the room so they could discuss whatever was bothering him.

“You’ve already met him before,” Yuuri pointed out.

“I know,” Viktor said, but didn’t sound any more convincing.

“Then why are you so…” Yuuri wasn’t sure what word to use.

Viktor looked at him with a small frown on his face.

“He’s an alpha, isn’t he?” the omega said.

Yuuri had completely forgotten about that massive detail. He felt stupid, once again, that Viktor had to explain such an obvious thing to him.

“He’s,” Yuuri started to say but then didn’t know what to say. “Yuri spent time with him, didn’t he? So, you know Phichit is fine.”

“Don’t remind me,” Viktor said glumly.

Yuuri wanted to focus on the matter at hand to quickly get back to Phichit, but it seemed that Viktor had something on his mind. As his – hopefully – future spouse, Yuuri felt it necessary to turn his attention to what Viktor had just said.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

Viktor winced and turned away. He had crossed his arms, and Yuuri wondered if he was willing to talk at all.

“I let him down,” Viktor said then. “I shouldn’t have left him alone with strangers, but I did because I was so selfish.”

Yuuri found himself not following Viktor’s thoughts the moment the omega started talking about being selfish. He wanted to tell Viktor it wasn’t right, but he didn’t have a chance to decide on what to say before the omega continued.

“I was only thinking about seeing you again,” Viktor said. “And being alone with you again. And I let that get to me.”

“Viktor,” Yuuri said and took a tentative step forward.

Viktor didn’t move away, and Yuuri gently lowered a hand on the omega’s shoulder.

“For years, I made sure to protect him,” Viktor said emotionally, “and then I forget all about him the moment I…”

Viktor stopped talking snappishly. Yuuri wanted to shake his shoulder to make him continue, but refrained from doing anything like that. He took yet another step closer and rounded the omega.

“You’re drawn to me,” he said quietly.

Viktor’s eyes were teary as he looked at the alpha.

“Is it just because I scented you?” Yuuri asked. “Did I force you to like me by doing that?”

Viktor sniffled and shook his head.

“He,” he said quietly. “That alpha, he scented me many times, but I was never drawn to him the way I am drawn to you.”

Yuuri bit his lip to stop it from trembling. He was elated to be told by Viktor that the omega felt something for him. He just couldn’t get too emotional now to scare Viktor.

“I never wanted his scent to surround me,” Viktor said, looking down. “But you… I can’t get enough of you.”

Yuuri’s heart was stuttering in his chest, and he swallowed.

“Yuuri,” Viktor said and raised his eyes to Yuuri’s face. “If you’re planning something bad, I’m begging you, please tell me now. I don’t think I can live if you break my heart later than this.”

Yuuri gasped and lifted his hand from Viktor’s shoulder to his cheek. Viktor was so beautiful standing in the room filled with sunlight. His hair was fair and shiny, and his eyes deep with emotion.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said and cleared his throat. “I swear, I have no ill intentions.”

Viktor watched his face, and Yuuri did his best to not hide his emotions. Viktor would have to see it for himself. When their eyes met, Yuuri felt a surge of love flow down his spine, and he was ready to leave Phichit on his own just to share this moment with Viktor for the rest of the day. However, then Viktor looked down and bit his lip.

“I’m afraid of believing you,” the omega whispered.

“I know,” Yuuri said. “I’m overjoyed that you have already trusted me so much, Viktor. It means a lot to me that you’re willing to stay here and you’ve shared some of your past with me. I understand that it’s hard.”

Viktor glanced at him in thought.

“I promise you, Viktor,” Yuuri continued, “that I will never intentionally hurt you.”

“What if you do it unintentionally?” Viktor asked, voice still quiet.

“Then I will work to change it,” Yuuri said. “I will do whatever I can to make you comfortable and happy.”

Yuuri stroked Viktor’s cheek with his thumb. The omega remained quiet, eyes cast down, biting his lower lip. Yuuri admired how plump it looked as Viktor released it.

“You don’t even know me,” Viktor said.

Yuuri sighed softly.

“I’m learning to know you more every day,” he said. “And every day I confirm that what I feel for you runs deep.”

Suddenly Viktor leaned forward and rest his forehead on Yuuri’s shoulder. Yuuri’s hand slipped back to his shoulder, and he left it there. He thought that it was alright. Viktor needed a reminder that he was there.

“How can I suddenly become happy,” Viktor mumbled.

Yuuri hoped that the omega didn’t expect an answer from him, because he had no idea what to say to that. He wasn’t sure he even fully understood what Viktor meant. How could happiness be difficult? He felt like he would need to read more to learn why Viktor had so much trouble believing that good things were happening to him.

“Your parents won’t accept me,” Viktor then said, still leaning on Yuuri. “When they find out I’m used goods, they will make me leave.”

“Viktor,” Yuuri said so sharply that the omega lifted his head up. “Aren’t you the one who keeps telling me to think about you as a person? You’re not “used goods”. You’re a person, and bad things have happened to you.”

Viktor’s frown was soft and tired.

“Besides,” Yuuri said. “If they make you leave, I will go with you.”

“No,” Viktor replied immediately. “You can’t do that.”

“I can and I will,” Yuuri said. “Oh, unless you meant that you wouldn’t want me?”

Viktor looked at Yuuri with a deep frown until he broke into a smile.

“Yuuri,” he said.

Yuuri opened his arms when Viktor leaned forward to a hug. The omega’s arms were sharp against his shoulders. Yuuri wished that it was easy to fix his malnourishment. He wanted to see Viktor looking just as healthy as he did in the drawing of him, roundness on his cheeks and more shape to his body. Viktor turned his head and nosed at Yuuri’s scent gland. Yuuri smiled and turned his head out of the way. He liked the small sniffs of Viktor smelling his scent. He liked the feeling of being so important to someone because of what his nature was, not his social standing. He hadn’t even dreamed of having an omega want to be close to him for close to a decade, and now suddenly he not only had an omega, he had a precious person who he wanted to keep safe.

Viktor’s collar smelled strongly of leather, and Yuuri wondered if Viktor’s old collar had smelled the same when it was still new. He hadn’t figured out who had given him and Yuri their collars. It seemed likely that it had been someone other than their old master. Yuuri didn’t even know how Viktor and Yuri had escaped. Had they simply run away one night? He wanted to know, but he would have to wait before asking. He didn’t want to put pressure on Viktor by asking him about things that the omega was likely not very happy to talk about.

“You smell good,” Viktor mumbled contently.

Yuuri smiled and hugged the omega tighter.

“Yuuri,” Viktor continued in his happy voice. “If you ever mistreat me, I will never recover.”

“I won’t,” Yuuri said and stroked Viktor’s back. “I never want to hurt you. But Viktor, you will also have to tell me if I’m doing something wrong. I need you to talk to me.”

Viktor hummed and pressed his nose firmly against Yuuri’s neck. It would have been easy to slip into comfort like that, but something in Yuuri’s mind reminded him of what he was supposed to be doing.

“Phichit is waiting for us,” he said reluctantly.

Viktor nuzzled his face to the crook of Yuuri’s neck and whined. Yuuri would have never imagined the omega acting so cutely and he nearly wanted to run out to tell Phichit to come back on another day before proceeding to lie in bed with Viktor just so the omega could wrap his body around Yuuri’s.

With a sigh, Viktor pulled back.

“I guess I’ll have to meet him,” he said.

“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” Yuuri said.

“I will,” Viktor replied.

Viktor stepped away, and Yuuri immediately missed his warmth.

*

When they got to the library, Phichit put down the book he had been reading and jumped up from the chair. Yuuri sometimes wondered how his friend had so much energy when he himself was sometimes finding it hard to do things normally. Phichit always had something more than “normal” going on.

“Hello!” the prince smiled and extended a hand to Viktor. “I’m Phichit. I’m Yuuri’s best friend.”

Viktor jolted slightly at Phichit’s sudden burst of energy, but then slowly took the offered hand.

“You’re Viktor,” Phichit said for Viktor, who simply nodded. “I’m glad to meet you properly like this. I know we already had dinner together once, but we didn’t really get to talk much, did we.”

Viktor took a step back when Phichit let go of his hand.

“Sit down!” Phichit said and gestured to the seating area.

Viktor turned to look worriedly at Yuuri, who walked over to the sofa and sat down. Phichit sat down on the chair next to it, while Viktor remained still. The omega was worrying his lower lip with his teeth, looking at the armchairs and sofas like they were completely off-limits. Yuuri wondered if he should interfere with Viktor’s thought process and tell him to sit down without thinking so much, but then decided to keep quiet. It didn’t take long for Viktor to take a hesitant step forward, then shuffle in place before finally sitting down on the same sofa as Yuuri, but on the other end. He didn’t look relaxed at all, and Yuuri was already trying to think of a way to help him feel more comfortable, when Viktor shifted closer to him.

The omega didn’t stop until he was sitting right next to Yuuri, their arms brushing when Yuuri turned to look at Phichit again. The prince was smiling in a friendly manner, and Yuuri felt Viktor relax just a bit.

“How are you liking it here?” Phichit asked.

Viktor looked worriedly at Yuuri before turning his eyes to the floor.

“It’s fine,” he said quietly.

“Have you lived in a house this big before?” Phichit asked.

Viktor shook his head and kept his eyes on the floor.

“Are you sleeping in Yuuri’s room?” Phichit asked then.

Viktor’s head shot up at the question, and Yuuri felt how horrified his own face was. He opened his mouth to quickly tell Phichit to stop saying such outrageous things, when Viktor spoke.

“I have my own room,” the omega said.

It hurt Yuuri’s hear how questioning Viktor’s tone was, even though he would have thought that after a few days it would have become obvious that yes, the room was Viktor’s.

“Is it one of the guest rooms?” Phichit asked.

Viktor nodded.

“It’s probably the one next to Yuuri’s room, right?” Phichit asked Yuuri, but didn’t wait for an answer. “It’s the biggest one. You must be comfortable there.”

Viktor bit his lip before answering.

“Yes,” he said quietly, head hanging low.

“It’s convenient to be so close to Yuuri, isn’t it?” Phichit continued talking as Yuuri continued panicking. “If you need to talk to him, he’s right there, you know?”

Viktor glanced at Yuuri without lifting his head up.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Your friend was much more talkative,” Phichit said and laughed. “His name was Yuuri as well, wasn’t it? Will you be going out to meet him or will he come see you here?”

Viktor frowned at the floor.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“How do you not know?” Phichit asked. “Don’t you two agree it in advance?”

Viktor shook his head. Yuuri frowned at Phichit for asking so many questions, but the prince simply smiled at him.

“Does he have a place where he usually stays so you know where to meet him?” Phichit asked.

Viktor shook his head. Yuuri was certain that even if Yuri did have a place to stay, Viktor wouldn’t tell them.

“You weren’t quite as reserved during the dinner,” Phichit said. “If you’re worried about me being the prince, don’t be. I’m here as Yuuri’s friend.”

Viktor glanced at the two alphas before looking down again. He entangled his fingers to keep his hands from fidgeting, and Yuuri wanted to hug him.

“If you’re just shy, that’s fine,” Phichit said. “I don’t mind at all. But you need to tell me if I’m crossing some boundaries, okay?”

Viktor nodded.

“Or maybe you’re not sure how to deal with me because I’m an alpha?” Phichit suggested. “That’s fine too. I know that some alphas are scary.”

Yuuri looked away when Phichit glanced at him.

“I did tell him about my past,” Yuuri said.

“I thought you would have,” Phichit said. “You’re an honest person.”

Yuuri frowned.

“What kind of a compliment is that,” he said and sighed.

Phichit laughed.

“A good one,” he said.

Yuuri rolled his eyes, but laughed too.

“So, Viktor, have you been to the back garden yet?” Phichit asked.

Viktor raised his head.

“No,” he said.

“Would you like to take a walk there?” Phichit asked. “It’s a fantastic garden.”

Viktor bit his lips together in thought, but before he could come to a conclusion, there was a sharp knock on the door.

A guard opened the door and stepped in.

“Katsuki-sama,” the guard said. “We have captured an intruder who claims to have come to see you.”

Yuuri frowned. This had never happened before. Usually his parents were the ones to handle intruders, but usually the intruders didn’t claim to have come to see him. He wasn’t sure what to do.

“Should I get my parents?” he asked Phichit.

“No, let’s go see who it is!” Phichit said. “I want to know.”

Yuuri hesitated.

“You’re curious too,” Phichit said. “You’re just in denial.”

Yuuri gave Phichit a look, but the prince merely laughed and got up.

“Let’s go,” he said and offered Yuuri a hand.

Yuuri took the hand and let his friend pull him to his feet. He then turned to look at Viktor, who was now looking at him with anxiety.

“Do you want to come too?” he asked. “It’s all safe, if you’re worried about that.”

Without a word, Viktor got up. Yuuri smiled at him in encouragement and turned around to follow the guard out the door, Phichit going first and Viktor trailing behind Yuuri. Yuuri felt the omega take a hold of the hem of his shirt, and he had to work hard to keep a smile from climbing his face.

They arrived to the room that was used as a temporary holding cell in situations like this, and the guard stopped to exchange a word with another guard that was standing outside the door. Then they opened the door and guided Phichit, Yuuri and Viktor inside. The moment they stepped into the room, Yuuri could see the horrible mistake that had been made.

In the room, restrained to a chair, sat a very angry Yuri. He was trashing in the guards’ hold, trying to bite them, but couldn’t reach. When he noticed the people, who had arrived in the room, he glared at them with spite.

“Let him go,” Yuuri said calmly. “He’s a friend.”

The guards turned to look at him.

“But,” a guard started to say.

“No buts!” Yuuri shouted so loudly that there was a faint echo in the room. “What kind of guards are you if you can’t tell a friend from an intruder? Release him immediately, and never ever make the same mistake again.”

His throat hurt from how loud he had yelled. The guards were taken aback by his reaction, staring at him stupidly, until one moved to release Yuri. The omega shot up immediately after he was freed and stomped over to Yuuri. The alpha felt a wave of panic wash over him as the omega approached, then wanted to laugh at feeling so terrified of this small boy. However, the look on Yuri’s face was much fiercer than anything he had seen before.

Yuri stopped right before Yuuri and poked his chest painfully with a finger.

“You suck!” the omega yelled.

With that he turned to Viktor.

“I came to see you,” he said. “You never came back, and I was worried.”

“Let me take you to the parlour,” Yuuri said when he noticed the look on Viktor’s face. “You can talk there.”

Yuri didn’t seem pleased with the suggestion, but Viktor nodded and turned around to leave the room. Yuuri glared at the guards again, growling lowly before walking away. His heart was beating erratically, but he managed to keep a straight face when the omegas glanced at him. He did his best to smile, and put all his effort into appearing gentle as he took them to the parlour.

“You can talk here,” Yuuri said. “Or in Viktor’s room, or wherever you want. I just wanted to get you out of there quickly.”

Viktor looked hesitant.

“Would you like to show Yuri your room?” Yuuri asked him.

Viktor nodded shyly. He took a hold of Yuri’s hand, and the two omegas left. Yuuri looked after them until he could no longer hear their footsteps. Then he turned to Phichit, who had a serious look on his face.

“That wasn’t normal,” Phichit said.

“I know,” Yuuri said. “I need to go find Takeshi.”

“I’ll go alert Minami,” Phichit said.

“Thank you,” Yuuri said absentmindedly, already wondering where he could find the alpha he needed.

“How long do you think you have?” Phichit asked.

Yuuri thought. He tried to feel the signs in his body.

“I think until tomorrow,” he said.

“So, I can return to have dinner with you?” Phichit asked.

“Sure,” Yuuri said. “Yes, I think it’s safe.”

“Alright. I’ll see you a bit later then,” Phichit said, and left with his group of guards.

Yuuri hurried to look for Takeshi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a prime example of sloppy editing and I'm sorry but I'm so tired.


	11. Chapter 11

Viktor slept restlessly that night, and when he woke up in the morning, he was tired. He decided to stay in the nest until Yuuri came knocking, and fell asleep for a moment longer.

When he woke up again, he was still sleepy, but he sat up to avoid falling asleep. He wanted to be awake when Yuuri came so he wouldn’t accidentally sleep through it. He wanted to see Yuuri.

As he waited, he thought about the previous day. After he had talked to Yuri, they had gone to have dinner with everyone. Viktor had been happy that Yuri was with him and that Yuuri’s family was preoccupied with Phichit’s presence and couldn’t pay him much attention. The girl who Yuuri was supposed to marry had also been there, and she had been very friendly. Viktor didn’t like it. He couldn’t even begin to compare to someone lovely like her. Surely Yuuri would eventually open his eyes and see how much more suitable it would be to marry her and not someone like Viktor.

Thinking about it made Viktor sad, and he pushed the closet door open to see what time it was. The sun was high up, and Viktor was wondering why Yuuri hadn’t shown up yet. Had he knocked on the door while Viktor was still sleeping?

Viktor changed into the nice clothes Yuuri had given him on the previous day. He still felt awkward wearing something so nice and expensive, but Yuuri had reassured him that it was fine. He should at least try to believe it. If he wanted to stay with Yuuri, he would have to work hard on believing what the alpha told him.

Quietly Viktor opened his door and peeked into the hallway. He was shocked to find that there was a guard standing by Yuuri’s door. The guard noticed him, but Viktor couldn’t stop himself from trying to hide behind his door. He wanted to crawl back into his nest. His heart was beating fast and he couldn’t help thinking about all the dangerous alphas he had crossed paths with during his time on the run.

After convincing himself that it was fine, that he was allowed to be there, Viktor slowly peeked past his door again. The guard nodded at him in a friendly manner. Viktor looked around. There was no one else around.

“Where’s Yuuri?” he asked, wincing at how his voice came out as a whisper.

“He’s occupied right now,” the guard said. “I’ve been instructed to escort you to breakfast.”

The guard stepped towards Viktor.

“Why?” Viktor asked. “Where is he?”

“Let’s talk over breakfast,” the guard said.

Viktor wanted to argue, but let the guard aide him to the dining room. He made sure to stay behind the man to keep an eye on him, not letting him get too close. Even though the guard was working for Yuuri, Viktor couldn’t place his trust on someone he didn’t know at all.

While Viktor ate, the guard tried to hold up small talk, but Viktor wouldn’t talk. The guard wouldn’t tell him where Yuuri was either, so it seemed fair. He didn’t like the atmosphere around the house at all. It felt suffocating in a completely new way.

When Viktor had finished eating, he tried to ask about Yuuri again.

“Why don’t you go for a walk?” the guard suggested, completely ignoring Viktor’s question. “It’s a nice day. And you have a friend out there too. You should spend some time with him.”

Viktor frowned. He hadn’t seen Yuuri since last night, and it was starting to feel like forever ago. He wanted to see Yuuri, he needed to see the alpha. He wanted to smell Yuuri’s friendly scent and rub himself over the alpha’s body to get the scent on him too.

“I want to see Yuuri,” Viktor said. “Is he in his room?”

The guard smiled, but it was forced.

“Please, just go see your friend today,” he said.

Viktor stood up and headed to the door. The guard followed him. Viktor didn’t stop. He walked briskly towards the stairs, but was stopped by a strong hand on his shoulder.

“I want to go to my room,” Viktor snapped.

The guard hesitated, but then let go. Viktor walked up the stairs and headed towards his own room. The guard was still following him. Viktor listened to his footsteps to measure how much of a head start he had. Right before the door to his room he sprinted forward, trying to reach Yuuri’s door.

The guard yelped and tackled Viktor to the floor before the omega could make it. Viktor screamed in the hopes that Yuuri would come out, but the hallway remained empty. The guard was pinning him down to the floor.

“Please,” the guard said. “I don’t want to hurt you. Please, behave.”

Viktor was trashing around, hissing and trying to scratch the man on top of him. He heard someone running towards them, and soon there was a second pair of hands on him. He didn’t stop to see who the other person was, only continued struggling and hissing. The two men dragged him away, farther and farther from Yuuri’s room.

“Yuuri!” Viktor called out, but the door remained closed.

Viktor used all the tricks he had learned during his time on the run, but he couldn’t get himself free. He was carried towards the staircase, and a third person joined the other guards to take him away. They had to move slowly, and at one point Viktor managed to kick a leg free, perking up at the chance of escape, but was quickly properly restrained again. One of the guards yelled something, but Viktor couldn’t hear what it was, he was too preoccupied with trying to escape. He was taken farther away from Yuuri, down another flight of stairs, and he heard more people show up.

“Yuuri!” Viktor screamed again in desperation.

He was scared. It felt like he had woken up in a nightmare – no, more like in a horror story that he couldn’t wake up from. There were about five guards holding him still and taking him to the same room where they had kept Yuri just the previous day. Hot tears were spilling from Viktor’s eyes as he kept trying to escape, but eventually he was lowered onto the ground, pushed down and held still, until the guards jumped off and left him there, hurried to close the door behind.

Viktor was up in a flash, but the door had already been slammed shut and locked from the outside. Viktor slammed on the wood until his fists ached, then continued slapping the door in vain. He was screaming, although his throat was getting sore, crying hopelessly as panic kept him going.

Yuuri had promised him freedom.

The one promise Yuuri had made. Viktor could be free.

But now he was held in a small room that was meant for intruders. He had no idea why Yuuri was locked in his room and wouldn’t come out. Yuuri must have heard what happened. Why hadn’t he come out to save Viktor? Why wouldn’t anyone explain? Why had he been taken away like a criminal?

Viktor wiped his face, but it was so wet with tears and snot that his hands didn’t help much. He couldn’t even use his shirt to dry himself because it was such an expensive piece of clothing. He continued crying silently, crouching by the door with his legs pulled tightly against his chest.

Maybe Yuri had been right and he should have left after what had happened. Viktor thought about the omega, how they had gone to Viktor’s room, and Yuri had nearly dropped his eyes when he saw it.

“You’re telling me he gave you this room?” Yuri had asked.

Viktor smiled and nodded proudly. The younger omega looked around in awe. Viktor did eventually show Yuri his nest too, causing him to laugh at Viktor for having such a fancy room and then hiding in a closet, but it was a friendly laugh.

They had settled onto the bed, and Yuri was clearly loving the softness of it. Viktor hoped that it meant that one day Yuri would move in to the Katsuki household as well. He wanted to ask, but before he could, Yuri was already talking.

“Are you sure it’s safe for you to live here?” he had asked.

Viktor frowned. He knew exactly what the other omega meant, and it was a thought that had gone through his head too. He didn’t want to talk about it, because it forced him to think about the burst of anger Yuuri had shown, and it was scary. While Viktor had known full well that Yuuri was an alpha, the man had always been soft, hadn’t hesitated to cry and show weakness. Yet, it was a shock to see him go to the other extreme, explode with the strength of a storm and establish clear dominance in a room full of alpha guards.

“He’s never like that,” Viktor said, hoping that he was right. “He’s kind.”

“You can’t know that for sure,” Yuri said.

Viktor was angry. He knew it, he knew it so well. It was the one thought that kept plaguing his mind whenever he tried to relax and trust Yuuri just a bit more. He knew it already, and he didn’t want to hear anyone say it out loud, because every time it became a bit more real.

“I want to trust him,” he responded.

“I don’t get it,” Yuri said and sniffed as he crossed his arms. “You’re the one who had to suffer with an alpha for years and years, so why are you ready to throw away everything to be with another alpha now?”

Viktor bit his lip. A part of him wished that Yuri hadn’t come see him, and the thought made his core shudder. Yuri was his only true friend, his brother. Was an alpha really more important than his brother? What was he becoming?

“He’s different,” he whispered.

“Or so you think,” Yuri said. “He could be pretending.”

“I know!” Viktor yelled.

His voice was desperate. He needed for Yuri to stop pointing out every uncertainty. He needed to try to build his trust and not have someone tear it down.

“Yakov came again,” Yuri said. “He didn’t have time to stay now, but he’ll come back in a few days.”

Viktor raised his head again. Yakov!

“Maybe he can get through to you,” Yuri muttered, but looked around the room with something that looked like longing.

“Did he know what day he’ll return?” Viktor asked eagerly.

“No,” Yuri said. “Just that it’s in a few days. I’ll come get you when he does.”

Viktor smiled happily. He had missed Yakov. And maybe the man could help him sort out some of his thoughts. He had been reading the books Michele had picked out for him, but there were many things he didn’t quite understand. He needed someone to ask from, and Yakov was the perfect person.

“Did you tell him I live here?” Viktor had asked.

Yuri had nodded.

“He’s concerned,” he said.

Viktor hadn’t known what Yuri had meant with that. Although now that he was sitting in a holding cell just for wanting to see Yuuri who was supposed to become his mate, he was starting to grow concerned himself. What if he had been tricked into a life that was far worse than his old life had been?

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door before it opened. Michele peeked inside.

“Viktor,” he said. “I’m sorry! I went out and left those guys in charge, and then return to hear that you’ve been locked here.”

Viktor wished that his face wasn’t still wet with tears. Michele looked tall from down there. Michele looked intimidating, and old fears were quickly surfacing.

“You’re not going to scratch me, are you?” Michele asked, voice worried.

Viktor stared at him without saying a word, only blinking when absolutely necessary.

“Come,” the beta said and extended a hand for Viktor. “Let’s get you some water to drink and wash your face.”

Hesitantly Viktor took the offered hand and let the beta pull him up to his feet. Michele smiled and guided him back to the main floor. They went to a bathroom so Viktor could wash his face. He looked in the mirror. His eyes were puffy and red, still raw with tears, and washing himself didn’t change that. He followed Michele to the dining room and waited for the beta to get him a glass of water. He drank it quietly.

“Where’s Yuuri?” he asked.

Michele puckered his lips.

“He’s fine,” he said, evading the question just like the guard had before. “He wants you to do what you want to do.”

“Why won’t he see me?” Viktor asked.

Had Yuuri already gotten bored of him? Was Viktor so tiresome that the alpha needed a break to be able to put up a happy face again?

“He has some urgent issues to take care of,” Michele said.

Viktor wasn’t satisfied with the answer. He took the last sip of water and got up. Michele warily looked at him.

“I’m going for a walk,” Viktor said.

Michele followed him out the room. Viktor headed to the hallway, making sure to aim towards the front door. He glanced at Michele, who was uncertainly following him, and then made an abrupt turn towards the stairs.

“No, Viktor!” Michele called behind him.

Viktor ran up as fast as he could. He stubbed his toe and tumbled down on the way, but didn’t stop, continued on all fours until he managed to push himself upright again. He ran to the corridor that was now empty, all the way to Yuuri’s door. He heard footsteps chasing him, but this time he would make it. This time he would make it.

Viktor pulled the door open with such force that it slammed against the wall. Michele caught up to him when he was already in the room, frozen on the spot.

“Viktor,” Yuuri gasped.

The alpha was sitting on the edge of his bead, shirtless. Takeshi was standing by the door, looking startled by Viktor’s entrance. By the bed there was a young man Viktor didn’t know. He was only wearing a robe that he had been pulling off, exposing his upper body. He was short, had big round eyes and blond hair. The surprised look on his face made him look especially cute. Viktor’s eyes trailed down to his neck and to the gold collar he was wearing.

There was a half-naked omega in Yuuri’s bedroom, when Viktor wasn’t allowed to go in.

Then there was the scent. It was Yuuri’s scent, except more intense. It burnt like a flame, it called for Viktor, it seduced his senses. He instantly knew that it was the scent of an approaching rut.

There was a half-naked, extremely cute omega in Yuuri’s bedroom when Yuuri was going into rut.

It made sense. Viktor had always been too tall to be truly desirable, and his old master had always made sure to describe him as regal and sophisticated to divert the attention from his height. He wasn’t cute in the least, even less now that his hair was gone. Of course, Yuuri would want an omega who looked his part.

Sadness was the first emotion to take over. Viktor felt his shoulders deflate and the tears were back with full force. He had instinctively known all along that he wasn’t enough, and now he had proof.

Then he thought about Yuuri telling him that there was no omega in his life, that there couldn’t be because of his problem. Yuuri had told him that he wanted to build trust, he wanted to make Viktor happy, he never wanted to hurt Viktor.

Anger took over. Viktor’s hands shook as he looked at the alpha who had stood up from the bed, the omega who had pulled the robe quickly back up to not be completely exposed, although was failing to notice that it wasn’t doing anything to hide the elaborate golden chains that hugged his hips over his cute cock.

A hand took a hold of Viktor’s shoulder, but Viktor shrugged it away. It must have been Michele, because the hand didn’t return – the beta must have been wary of being scratched again. Viktor turned to look at Yuuri with the anger he now felt.

“Explain,” he said, with a growl he had never heard himself use before.

Of course, he had never been this angry before.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said and took a step towards the door, but Viktor hissed in warning. “I’ll explain later. This isn’t a good time.”

“There won’t be a later time,” Viktor said with danger in his voice. “I will never return.”

Yuuri swallowed. He looked at Takeshi for support, then glanced at the omega standing by the bed before turning to Michele, who had stepped back to the doorway.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said desperately. “You can’t stay now. I’m on my rut.”

“I know,” Viktor spat. “I don’t care.”

“I do!” Yuuri yelled, but then lifted his hands to his mouth in horror. “Please, we’ll talk later.”

Viktor stared at the alpha, who was biting his lips together. The unknown omega had stepped back from the bed in uncertainty. Viktor’s feelings had melded anew once more. They were a burn deep in his core, fire that was slowly starting to spread. It shouldn’t have been happening yet, not for at least two months.

“Now,” he said, voice gone low.

Yuuri frowned, his face a mix of anxiety and desperation. He turned to look at the other omega and nodded towards the door. Without a word the omega hurried out, steering clear of Viktor. The door closed behind him, and Viktor noted that Michele had left too.

“I need release,” Yuuri said sadly. “I wish it wasn’t happening right now.”

Viktor continued to stare at him. For a moment longer, he could still have the upper hand, and he wanted to use it to his advantage. For just a moment longer, he could resist Yuuri’s tempting scent, stay rooted to his spot and not reveal his predicament.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said and took a step forward, but then backed away again. “You must understand that I don’t want to put you in a position where you might feel coerced to doing something you’re so clearly not ready to do. Maybe I should have gone about it differently, but I’ve never had to… I don’t always know how to best deal with you and with your past.”

Viktor walked closer to the bed, enjoying how Yuuri backed away until he could no more.

“Viktor, I’m serious,” Yuuri said. “Please, don’t come closer. I can’t put you in danger.”

Instead of answering, Viktor lifted his hands to his collar. Yuuri’s eyes widened in horror.

“No!” the alpha yelled. “Don’t take it off! Viktor, don’t!”

The collar dropped to the floor with a thud and a click of the buckle. Yuuri was covering his nose with his hands. Viktor heard Takeshi gasp.

“Yuuri,” the alpha said urgently. “He’s in heat.”

“What?” Yuuri asked sharply, so surprised that he nearly let his hands drop, but then held on. “Viktor?”

“Your scent triggered it,” Viktor said.

That made Yuuri forget about trying to shield himself from Viktor’s scent. His mouth was opened in surprise, and he leaned against the bed for support.

“Oh no,” Yuuri mumbled. “No, this isn’t good.”

Viktor walked the rest of the way to the bed. Yuuri leaned away from him on the other side.

“Viktor, you have to leave now,” Yuuri said, but there was no sharpness left in his voice.

“You’re my alpha now,” Viktor said.

Yuuri shook his head.

“That’s not-,” he tried, but Viktor interrupted him.

“You need to take care of me,” he insisted.

Yuuri looked over to Takeshi, and Viktor looked at him too. The alpha was clearly struggling to hold still, a part of him trying to escape out of the door while a part was drawn to Viktor’s scent. Viktor laughed when he realised that he wasn’t afraid of him. He wasn’t afraid of the big alpha just because his Yuuri was right there. He knew that Yuuri was going to protect him if Takeshi failed to restrain himself.

“Yuuri,” the alpha said and swallowed thickly. “You’ll have to. You can’t leave him in heat in a house full of alphas.”

Yuuri’s lower lip was trembling. He looked at Viktor.

“At least you need to wear a collar,” he said weakly, resolve crumbling more each passing moment.

“No,” Viktor said.

“Viktor!” Yuuri tried. “If you don’t wear a collar, I’ll mark you. I can’t do that.”

Viktor didn’t say anything. As far as he was concerned, everything worth saying had been said. He climbed to the bed, crawled over to Yuuri, and leaned in.

“Send him away,” Viktor whispered.

Yuuri swallowed and turned to look at Takeshi.

“Takeshi,” he said, voice strangled. “You need to leave.”

The alpha bit his lip.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

Yuuri nodded. His eyes were glassed over. Takeshi bowed shortly and left the room, the door slamming behind him.

Viktor backed away from Yuuri to give the alpha space to get properly onto the bed. Yuuri hesitated, but then moved closer.

“I hope you know what this means, Viktor,” he said weakly.

“I do,” Viktor said, although it was clearly a lie.

The heat was quickly clouding Viktor’s mind, and it was hard to keep thinking rationally. Viktor could only focus on Yuuri’s alluring scent, Yuuri’s body so close to him but still too far away, the want that was now crawling under his skin as the fire inside him was burning brighter. He needed to get closer to the alpha next to him, he needed a touch to soothe the irritation on his skin. His insides were curling uncomfortably and he could already feel his entrance soaked with slick.

What he knew was that he should not be making this decision right now. He should go back to his room and suffer through his heat on his own.

Viktor had never been close to an alpha in rut while he was in heat, and the mix of their scents together was driving him out of his mind. His rationality quickly faded away, and all that was left was the raw need. He wanted to jump Yuuri, wanted to hump the alpha’s leg and rub their scents together until they couldn’t be separated again. He pulled his tunic off so quickly he hardly even noticed himself doing it, pants already down to his thighs.

Yuuri’s hands were shaking as he undressed, Viktor noticed, but when the alpha turned to him, there was no sign of hesitation or fear. His eyes were bright and determined, and Viktor found himself being pushed down to the bed, his pants ripping as Yuuri spread his legs open in haste. The alpha’s scent was everywhere, but it wasn’t enough. Viktor needed it all over himself, in him, so close that it became a part of him.

Their lips met when Yuuri pushed two fingers inside Viktor. It wasn’t enough. The stretch was delicious, it was scratching the itch deep inside him, but it wasn’t enough. Viktor wanted more, he wanted everything, and he kissed Yuuri with sloppy lips. Yuuri’s tongue was in his mouth, and he sucked on it, pulled it in and rubbed his own against it, tasting the alpha with vigour. He cried out when Yuuri spread his fingers inside, rubbing against his soft walls before pulling them out.

Viktor whined when Yuuri pulled back from the kiss. The alpha was trembling and sweat was dripping down his forehead into his eyes, and he quickly tried to wipe it away so he could see. Viktor looked down where Yuuri was kneeling between his legs, holding his cock and pushing it against Viktor’s entrance. It was big, it was hard and hot and it pushed in slowly, stretching Viktor wide open. His own cock was rubbing against his hip and he grasped it loosely, eyes rolling back in his head as he was finally getting what he needed so badly.

“More,” he breathed.

Yuuri’s cock slipped inside, and Viktor moaned loudly. He had never felt so fulfilled before, alpha cock forcing his entrance open and sliding in. Yuuri’s cock was thick and heavy, and Viktor stroked his own length almost absentmindedly, completely focused on the pleasure.

The alpha grunted breathily and started moving. His thrusts were sharp and hurried, and he wiped sweat off his eyes again before leaning down to kiss Viktor’s throat. His lips were wet, sliding against Viktor’s skin, and Viktor let go of his cock to wrap his arms around Yuuri’s body. He pulled the alpha closer, their chests were brushing against each other, and Viktor felt the hard nub of Yuuri’s nipple brush over his own. Yuuri’s open-mouthed kisses made their way to Viktor’s scent gland, and he stopped there to suck. Viktor was moaning, mouth hanging open as he lifted his legs to better accommodate Yuuri’s hips. The alpha’s cock was reaching deep inside of him, so deep that it seemed impossible, and it was hitting a spot that Viktor had never known to exist, easing the pain of need.

“Viktor,” Yuuri breathed against the omega’s neck.

He wasn’t kissing or sucking anymore, his mouth simply resting against Viktor’s neck as he thrust desperately, hips slapping against Viktor’s ass. His cock was swelling, and Viktor clawed at his back. He needed just a bit more, just a bit more and he would be better. He needed Yuuri to put out the painful flame inside him, and Yuuri was doing just that. Yuuri’s skin was hot and sticky, and Viktor cried out when he felt the knot spreading him wider.

Yuuri let out a guttural sound before everything exploded: he bit down on Viktor’s neck over the scent gland as his orgasm shook his body, and each thrust pushed his knot deeper as his semen shot inside the omega. His body went tense, teeth breaking skin before he relaxed again, still canting his hips slowly.

Viktor was crying with the pain of being bitten and being so close to his own release. Yuuri reached down to take a hold of his cock with his clammy hand and stroked him with a firm hold. Viktor’s hips jerked towards the hand, taking Yuuri’s knot even deeper, and when Yuuri swiped a thumb over his tip, he came with a strangled shout, spilling between their bodies.

They were both breathing hard. Yuuri rolled them to their sides and let go of Viktor’s softening cock.

“Viktor?” he asked.

Viktor was sobbing quietly. Yuuri wiped his hand onto the sheets before lifting it to Viktor’s face. His fingers were soft as he wiped away the tears.

“Why are you crying?” he asked. “Does it hurt?”

Viktor shook his head. He leaned closer, found his way to Yuuri’s scent gland and nuzzled his nose against it.

“I feel good,” he hiccupped.

Yuuri stroked his hair. It was warm. Yuuri’s knot inside him felt secure instead of painful, right instead of wrong, and Yuuri’s scent provided him with comfort unlike any he had ever known.

*

Viktor realised he had dozed off when he was woken up by a sharp sting on his neck. His instincts told him to attack, but his arms weren’t moving. He blinked himself properly awake to find Michele standing before him and doing something to his neck.

Viktor tried to move, but Yuuri was holding him close.

“Sorry,” Michele said. “I know it stings, but I need to cleanse this wound.”

Viktor stropped trying to struggle. He winced every time Michele touched the wound with the ball of cotton he was holding.

“How do you feel?” Yuuri asked from behind.

Viktor thought for a moment. The sharpest edge of his heat was gone, but it would soon return. For now, however, he felt nice. The bed was soft and Yuuri’s body was warm. Yuuri’s body…

Viktor tried to pull away again when he realised that Yuuri had knotted him. He couldn’t believe that the alpha would let someone inside the room while they were still physically connected, and his face was burning in embarrassment.

“Stop struggling,” Yuuri said before moaning.

Viktor felt utterly devastated realising that his moving around had caused him to squeeze down on the knot inside him, and Yuuri’s cock was spilling more semen, all the while Michele continued treating his neck. Viktor turned his head to look around for a blanket to hide under, but only managed to rub his fresh wound against Michele’s hand.

“Please, let me finish,” Michele said almost desperately.

Viktor wanted badly to hide behind his hands, but Yuuri was still holding him. The alpha must have thought it to be the best way to prevent Viktor from accidentally scratching Michele when he woke up (and he reluctantly admitted that it had been the right thing to do), but now it was just an inconvenience.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said, trying to sound soothing. “Just a bit more. Stay still.”

His breath was hot on Viktor’s nape, and he found it to calm him down enough for Michele to stop wiping his wound.

The beta stepped away from the bed.

“Try to be gentle with him,” he said, and it took Viktor a moment to realise he was talking to Yuuri. “I’m sure the mark’s going to be sore.”

“I know,” Yuuri said quietly, letting go of Viktor’s arms.

Yuuri pressed his fingers close to Viktor’s scent gland and pulled on the skin just a bit, making Viktor whine out in pain.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said immediately.

That’s when Viktor fully realised that he had been marked. His eyes widened in realisation and he lifted a hand to trail his fingers through the sore area. His finger came back with a hint of blood and he stared at it, unable to decide how to feel.

With a soft sigh, Michele stepped back closer and wiped Viktor’s finger with the cotton he was still holding.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked. “Do you need water?”

It was quiet.

“Get him some water,” Yuuri said.

When Michele turned to go, Viktor realised that the question had been aimed at him. He felt Yuuri’s knot start to give inside him, and a part of him was sad about it. However, when Michele returned, he was grateful to be able to sit up on the edge of the bed and not have to feel so mortified over being penetrated by Yuuri while in the presence of someone else.

Michele left after he had made sure that nothing else was needed, and Viktor slowly turned to look at Yuuri.

The alpha was lying on his back, looking at Viktor with a soft frown.

“Does it hurt a lot?” he asked and pointed to his own neck.

Viktor leaned his head from side to side, jerking when the wound stung.

“It could be worse,” he said truthfully enough.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said. “I wish it didn’t have to be so painful.”

Viktor backed up to the headboard and leaned against it. His body felt light, and the entire situation seemed surreal. He had never felt so calm during heat, knowing that any time soon it would raise its ugly head again and reduce him to a whimpering mess ready to beg for alpha cock.

“It doesn’t hurt that much,” Viktor said.

He couldn’t help looking down to his arm and the long scar on it. He was still wearing Yakov’s collar around his wrist.

Yuuri pulled himself up and sat next to Viktor. He slowly took a hold of Viktor’s hand, pulled the arm closer and trailed the scar on it with a soft finger.

“Did he do this to you to mark you?” the alpha asked.

Viktor shook his head.

“I did it,” he said.

Yuuri turned to look at him with question.

“It was my fault,” Viktor said, not able to meet the alpha’s eyes while thinking about what had happened.

“Tell me, Viktor,” Yuuri said. “I don’t understand.”

Viktor sighed. He hated thinking about that day. He hated it more than many other things that he hated. No other punishment had ever put him so close to death.

“After Yuri had been there for closer to a year,” Viktor said, “I started feeling really… I don’t know. It was harder because I was so worried for Yuri’s safety.”

“And he continued to treat you the same as he had before?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor nodded.

“One day I heard him…” Viktor stopped to think for a bit to find the right words. “He was using Yuri. And I felt so insignificant, I couldn’t help and I wasn’t needed, so I took a knife.”

Yuuri squeezed Viktor’s hand.

“I cut my own wrist,” Viktor said, no more than a whisper. “Just this much.”

He took off Yakov’s collar and trailed a short length of the scar just at his wrist.

“When Master was finished with Yuri,” he continued. “When he saw what I had done, he got angry. He told me many things, and he said that if I was so desperate to die, he would finish the job.”

Yuuri shook his head. Viktor was staring at his scar, remembering exactly how the knife had broken his skin.

“His cut was much deeper than mine,” Viktor said quietly. “I thought I was going to die.”

He laughed joylessly.

“Maybe I should have,” he said. “He got worried when he realised how much damage he had done and when the blood wouldn’t stop coming, so he found a needle and some thread and told Yuri to hold me still.”

“Oh, Viktor,” Yuuri whispered and pressed his head against Viktor’s shoulder.

Viktor found himself shaking with the memory.

“It healed,” he said. “I don’t know how I survived it without an infection.”

“He must have been cleaning it properly,” Yuuri suggested.

Viktor shook his head.

“He didn’t care,” he said. “Then Yuri and I ran away right after he had removed the stitches.”

Yuuri stroked Viktor’s arm with careful fingers.

“I’m glad you survived,” he said quietly.

Viktor thought for a moment. He could already feel his body heating up again, his mind getting hazy at the edges, but for now he had no complaints. He was perfectly at ease, sitting here with this alpha who had claimed him. He had never felt as happy after being bonded.

“I’m glad too,” he said.

He leaned closer to Yuuri, turned his head to smell the alpha’s scent. He pressed his nose against Yuuri’s skin. It made him happy, this closeness, and he enjoyed the feeling of peace that had filled him. He had never known he could feel so good, just being, sitting next to an alpha who cared about him.

Viktor turned a bit more, Yuuri’s fingers still stroking over the scar on his arm, and he pressed his teeth against Yuuri’s scent gland. The air quickly filled with the alpha’s scent, and it made Viktor smile. He bit down just a bit harder before releasing his hold, licking over the gland instead, kissing over the tiny teeth marks. Yuuri groaned and turned his head out of the way.

“I love you, Viktor,” he mumbled as Viktor continued to nibble at his neck.

“I love you” was a phrase Viktor had thought he wouldn’t hear. He wasn’t sure if the master had ever said anything like it. He wouldn’t be surprised if the answer was no. He didn’t really matter to the master. His worth wasn’t in what the master felt for him.

Yuuri turned to stroke Viktor’s hair. His scent was calm, unobtrusive, and it filled Viktor with the feeling of being loved. He was loved by this alpha.

With a sigh Yuuri trailed his hand down to Viktor’s hips. He turned his head to meet the omega’s lips in a kiss. Their mouths were open, and Viktor had never even imagined that kissing could feel so good and so right. Yuuri’s tongue was tasting him, and it didn’t make him want to pull away, it didn’t make him heave. It made his spine spark and toes curl, and he gladly let the alpha push him down until they were both lying on the bed, kissing while their chests pressed together and Yuuri’s thumb stroked circles over Viktor’s hip bone.

Slowly Yuuri started kissing down Viktor’s neck, especially gentle over the fresh claim marks on his neck. The alpha payed attention to each spot that made Viktor gasp or jolt, and by the time he had made his way down to Viktor’s chest, the omega was putty. Viktor was certain that it wasn’t all the heat’s doing – a lot of it was just the fact that it was Yuuri. Yuuri was kissing him, trying to find out what made him feel good, and he had never thought that one day he could have that.

Viktor opened his eyes and looked down to Yuuri, whose lips were trailing even lower on his body. The alpha had his eyes focused on Viktor’s skin, on the way his kisses drew goose bumps to their trail. Viktor looked down at the alpha who was completely ignoring his own need just to make Viktor feel good, and his chest was filled with a feeling he couldn’t identify.

Yuuri kissed Viktor’s pointed hip bones before sitting up. His lips were glistening with saliva as he smiled, and Viktor thought that he was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

“How do you feel?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor could only stare for a moment, before he smiled in answer. Yuuri nudged his legs, and he parted them, willingly spreading them for the first time in his life for an alpha. He watched how Yuuri settled between them, lay down on his stomach and kissed the thighs around his head.

All the touching along with the heat returning was causing Viktor’s cock to harden again. He was hopeful that Yuuri would touch it soon and make him feel as good as he had felt earlier. Instead Yuuri lifted his legs out of the way and licked a wide stripe over his entrance.

Viktor whined in surprise. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to pull away or push his ass to the alpha’s face for more. His eyes were wide as he stared at the ceiling, and Yuuri licked again. His tongue was hot against the tight pucker, collecting slick with each new lick, and Viktor found himself grabbing a handful of sheets to ground himself. Yuuri’s tongue was probing the entrance, soft but hard, and before Viktor had even gotten used to that, Yuuri pressed his lips over the sensitive muscle and sucked hard.

Viktor moaned with his head thrown back. Yuuri continued licking and sucking, each sensation going straight to Viktor’s cock that was now standing upright. Viktor was squirming on the bed, Yuuri’s tongue chasing him when he pulled away and meeting him when he pushed closer, and Viktor thought he might just go crazy with how good he was feeling.

That’s when Yuuri pushed his tongue inside, and Viktor’s moans were close to a scream. His legs were shaking as Yuuri continued eating him out, tongue wiggling inside him, and he closed his lips around the sensitive rim to suck. There was a pool of pre-come gathering on Viktor’s belly and sliding down to his navel, and when Yuuri sucked especially hard, Viktor came, completely untouched, semen spurting over his skin.

Yuuri pulled away and licked his sticky lips before taking Viktor’s cock in his mouth and sucking the tip clean. Viktor was sobbing with oversensitivity when Yuuri continued to lick the semen off his skin, eventually moving up to lie next to Viktor who was panting hard.

“Are you still fine to go?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor wasn’t sure. He glanced down at Yuuri’s body and saw how hard the alpha was; his cock was leaking so much pre-come that Viktor hadn’t even though it possible. Maybe he was too sensitive to immediately have Yuuri take him again, but he didn’t care.

“I’m fine,” he said.

He thought about how hard it must have been for Yuuri to complete ignore his own arousal while only focusing on Viktor. He could give his body for Yuuri to use, that was the least he could do.

Yuuri smiled and turned Viktor to his side. Viktor was slightly disappointed to not be able to look at Yuuri, but if the alpha was going to knot him, it would be more comfortable for them to spoon.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said.

There was something odd in his voice, and suddenly the alpha touched something on Viktor’s back.

“What are these scars?” he asked.

Viktor blinked. He didn’t know for sure, but he could guess. He couldn’t get a word out.

“Down here too,” Yuuri said, and his fingers slid down to Viktor’s buttocks.

What could he say? Viktor remained quiet, hoping that Yuuri had been asking him rhetorically and wasn’t really expecting him to answer.

“Viktor,” Yuuri whispered and pressed his lips to the omega’s nape, his hands taking a hold of his hips.

Viktor turned to hide his face in the pillow as Yuuri’s cock rubbed against his ass. He hoped that the alpha would hurry and not make him think about sad things.

“What did that alpha do to you?” Yuuri asked.

It was surreal to hear the question while Yuuri’s cock was pressing between Viktor’s ass cheeks. Yuuri seemed to really want the answer, but his rut wouldn’t allow him to wait.

“When I misbehaved,” Viktor mumbled against the pillow.

“What did he use?” Yuuri asked, cock pressed against Viktor’s entrance.

“I’m not sure,” Viktor said and whimpered when the tip of Yuuri’s cock pushed through the pucker. “What made those marks, I’m not sure.”

“What did he use?” Yuuri asked again, mouth open against Viktor’s neck as he pushed slowly inside.

“A- A belt and a cane,” Viktor cried out as Yuuri’s cock pressed deep inside.

“Fuck,” Yuuri muttered, and Viktor wasn’t sure if he was cursing the omega’s old master or simply reacting to the tight heat surrounding his cock. “Viktor!”

Yuuri rolled Viktor to his stomach and raised his upper body. He was thrusting fast, skin slapping against skin, and Viktor moaned continuously as he pushed his ass back to meet Yuuri’s hips.

“I wish I could take them away,” Yuuri said, bending his head down to rest his forehead on Viktor’s back. “Those scars.”

“I didn’t know I have them,” Viktor said and gasped.

Yuuri’s breath was hot on his skin.

“It must have been painful,” Yuuri mumbled, pressing his lips against Viktor’s shoulder blade. “I can’t believe he didn’t want to mark you but then scarred you like this.”

Yuuri’s hips were working fast. Viktor’s cock was rubbing against the bed, bringing tears to his eyes as the stimulation was starting to be too much.

“I never want to hurt you, Viktor,” Yuuri said.

His fingers were pressing hard against Viktor’s hips, but it was good pain. It wasn’t sharp and blinding, it was like a constant itch, and Viktor grabbed the pillow into his arms, crying against it.

The noises Yuuri made were erotic. Viktor had gotten used to being repulsed by the noises the master made during sex, and to now experience this was overwhelming. Yuuri’s pleasure was connected to Viktor’s pleasure, they were intertwined in a way completely unfamiliar to Viktor, and it made Viktor come yet again, leaving his body completely exhausted.

“Just a bit more,” Yuuri muttered, speeding up his thrusts.

Viktor was crying with his mouth open, gasping for air as overstimulation shook him. He hardly even noticed how Yuuri’s knot swell and bound them together, only coming back to his senses after Yuuri had lain down next to him and was holding him in his arms.

“I love you, Viktor,” Yuuri said and kissed the back of Viktor’s neck.

Viktor was too tired to say anything. He simply smiled and let his eyes close. He hoped that Yuuri knew that he wasn’t crying because he was sad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter that I always wanted to write because if you know my other stuff you know that I write for porn. In a way this chapter put this entire fic in motion, I just had no idea it was going to be so long until I get here, because Viktor's past turned out to be way more complicated than I first thought. Actually I was first thinking of stories where high standing alphas sometimes get omegas to help them through their heats, but this story just didn't go there. Fun fact: The story is now 150 pages long.
> 
> I was away last week so I didn't write at all, and I still haven't written anything this week, but I figured I'd post this chapter anyway because. I don't know how long before I cat get chapter 12 out because I haven't even gotten a full page of that chapter written yet. I'm just stupidly tired again!
> 
> Anyway I'm amused by how pretty much everyone could see Yuuri's rut coming, but I hope that you didn't see this chapter happening like this!


	12. Chapter 12

Whenever Yuuri came out of his rut, he was always slightly disoriented. Everything that had taken place during the few days he was sexually insatiable seemed like a dream.

This time was no different. Yuuri woke up feeling normal, and tried to work out what had really happened and what he had just imagined. He wanted to be surprised by Viktor sleeping next to him in bed, cuddled up to his body so close that Yuuri could feel each breath he took. He wanted to be surprised, because that way he could separate himself from having allowed Viktor to make a bad decision in heat, in case Viktor was upset, but because he remembered, he had to live with the knowledge that he might have ruined what little trust he had managed to build with the omega.

For now, though, Viktor seemed perfectly happy where he was. Yuuri winced when his eyes caught sight of the angry bitemarks on Viktor’s neck. He had told Viktor to wear a collar, he knew he had. Should he have insisted more? Maybe he should have told Takeshi to take Viktor away and – no, Takeshi couldn’t have done that. He should have asked Michele, but then again, Michele had been with Viktor when the omega had managed to get into the room.

Why hadn’t the door been locked! Yuuri thought, although he knew that for safety reasons it had to remain unlocked.

Viktor stirred, but didn’t wake up. Yuuri turned to look at his peaceful face. He couldn’t believe that his rut had triggered Viktor’s heat. Had it really? Maybe Viktor had made a mistake?

Yuuri sighed. It was no use thinking so hard when he couldn’t ask Viktor. He should try to relax and enjoy this moment of tranquillity with the omega he was in love with, because this could be the last time Viktor allowed Yuuri to be so close to him. Yet, they had been much closer just on the previous day, and Yuuri blushed as he thought about it.

Everything had been different. Everything had been much more pleasurable, somehow even meaningful, just because he had been with Viktor. Not to mention Viktor had been in heat. Yuuri had hoped that his first time with Viktor wouldn’t be blinded by his rut or Viktor’s heat, that it could be slow and sweet and Yuuri could make sure to touch Viktor where it felt the best and most comfortable. He had wanted to be able to make sure that Viktor wouldn’t freak out, that he wasn’t too rough. Yuuri could hardly even remember what the first time had been like for real. He knew that it had felt so, so good, but had it been good for Viktor? Yuuri had knotted him without a question, Yuuri had marked him so roughly that the wounds were still fresh.

“Why are you so upset?” Viktor asked quietly.

Yuuri turned to look at the omega who had woken up at some point during Yuuri’s agonising.

“I’m,” Yuuri tried to find the right words to describe how he felt. “I’m worried about you.”

“Why?” Viktor asked.

“Are you sorry?” Yuuri asked. “Do you regret it?”

Viktor shook his head immediately.

“I feel good,” he said.

Yuuri bit his lip. Was it possible that everything had worked out just fine?

“I don’t like it when you’re upset,” Viktor whispered and nuzzled closer.

Yuuri let out a weak laugh. Viktor’s nose brushed against his scent gland. He wondered if this was how every day was going to be from now on: waking up with Viktor all content and cuddled up to him, their scents intertwined and lingering in the air.

When Yuuri turned to meet Viktor in a hug, his back chafed against the beddings, and he gasped in pain. He remembered Michele telling him that Viktor’s nails had left bleeding scratches on his back, but during the rut he had been immune to the pain. He glanced down to Viktor’s hand that was resting over his chest and wondered if the omega would be willing to get rid of the nails before the next time.

The next time. Was there going to be a next time? Probably, considering how well Viktor seemed to be taking the situation. But when would it happen? Maybe Viktor was now more comfortable about being touched, now that they had stepped over a huge obstacle, but would it really be that simple?

“You’re thinking too much,” Viktor said.

The omega was frowning at Yuuri, and the alpha smiled in apology. Viktor sighed and turned to lie on his back, not that far from Yuuri, but way too far in the alpha’s opinion. His body was getting cold now that Viktor wasn’t lying half on top of him.

Viktor sat up. The back of his hair was standing up, the rest of it adorably messy. The omega scanned the room before turning to look at Yuuri.

“You need to explain,” he said.

Yuuri swallowed. He wasn’t sure what Viktor was talking about, but it couldn’t have been good. The alpha slowly sat up, careful to not hurt his back too much, and leaned against the bedhead.

“Who was that omega?” Viktor asked.

Bitterness was evident in his voice, and his scent had soured also. Yuuri winced as he thought about the situation a couple of days back.

“He’s,” Yuuri said slowly. “His name is Kenjirou, and he’s Phichit’s omega. I mean, he lives with Phichit. He’s…”

“So, he’s a sex slave,” Viktor mumbled.

The omega lifted his knees up and rested his arms on them.

“No,” Yuuri said. “But I guess some people might see him that way. Phichit doesn’t. Phichit treats him as a friend.”

Viktor snorted. Yuuri decided it was better to keep that part of the conversation to a minimum and return to Viktor’s original question.

“Because I can’t possibly ask for an unbound omega to visit me,” Yuuri said, “especially when I’m in my rut, Phichit and I asked Kenjirou if he would… if he could maybe help. I… I don’t like it, Viktor. It’s not the ideal solution to anything, but my ruts are so painful… I couldn’t suffer through even one more without help.”

“So,” Viktor asked slowly. “He wasn’t here just because you wanted to keep me safe? He’s a regular thing?”

“If that’s what you want to call it,” Yuuri said. “But he’s not… We’re not bonded. He always wears a collar so I can’t bite him, and Takeshi is in the room to make sure I don’t knot him.”

“How can he possibly stop you all by himself?” Viktor mumbled.

“It’s quite easy, actually,” Yuuri said. “We’ve… I guess because we’ve known each other for so long we’ve created some bond that makes it easier for him to stop me even during a rut. But he does sometimes call for help. He’s very good at reading the situation.”

Viktor remained quiet. Yuuri let him think, let all the details sink in.

“Does Phichit keep omegas?” Viktor asked then, much to Yuuri’s surprise.

“H- He,” Yuuri stuttered and swallowed. “He’s been gifted a few, yes.”

“Why did you choose that particular omega then?” Viktor asked.

“Oh, Kenjirou volunteered,” Yuuri said. “Apparently, he has a crush on me.”

Viktor let out a dry laugh.

“Figures,” he said. “You’re just taking advantage of an omega’s feelings.”

“He knows I’m not interested,” Yuuri said. “Viktor, I know it’s a really complicated situation. And I know how you feel about it, and I appreciate those thoughts and feelings. I just… It’s not like I’m forcing him to come over.”

“So, if he said no, that would be fine?” Viktor asked.

“Yes,” Yuuri said. “Had he said no at any point, that would have been his choice.”

“I don’t know how to take that,” Viktor mumbled.

“I’m aware of the underlying complications,” Yuuri said in response.

They fell quiet. Viktor was resting his chin on his arms, staring at the door. Yuuri watched how his vertebrae formed a path down his back. He thought about the scars on Viktor’s skin. He remembered crying about them at some point.

Coming out of rut with Viktor was much different from the usual. After he would wake up to realise that the rut was gone, Kenjirou would get up, bow with a smile, and be guided away to have a drink of the herb tea that prevented pregnancy.

Yuuri’s eyes opened wide and he jumped up.

“Viktor!” he exclaimed urgently. “You need the contraceptive tea!”

Viktor slowly looked up at him with an unimpressed look.

“No, I don’t,” he said.

“Yes, you do!” Yuuri said. “I’ve been pumping you full of semen for days. We can’t risk you getting pregnant.”

“There’s no risk,” Viktor said quietly and looked down at the bed.

Yuuri frowned.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

Viktor was quiet. He was frowning too, staring at the bed like it had insulted him. Then he looked up with the same look still on his face, and Yuuri felt like he had just said something so rude that the only way to ever apologise was to take his own life in shame.

“Once,” Viktor said quietly, and Yuuri sat down to listen, “when I was maybe 15, I got pregnant.”

Yuuri’s eyes widened. So, Viktor had a child?

“It was inconvenient, of course,” Viktor said. “My master didn’t want children to run around his house, and he especially wanted to protect my skin from getting ugly stretch marks.”

Viktor swallowed. His form was drooping, and Yuuri wanted to pull him close.

“He,” Viktor whispered, lower lip trembling. “He used a coat hanger to… to take care of the problem, and since then I never got pregnant again.”

Viktor’s entire body was shivering. Yuuri slowly extended his hand and placed it on the omega’s shoulder. A lone tear made its way down Viktor’s cheek.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said. “I wish I had known.”

“It’s not your fault,” Viktor managed before turning his head to hide his face behind his arms.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said before moving closer and hugging the omega properly.

*

There was a knock on the door. Yuuri and Viktor hadn’t gotten dressed yet, and Viktor hid under the blanket. Yuuri smiled at the omega’s shyness and pulled a kaftan over his head before answering the door.

“Is everything fine?” Michele asked.

“Perfect,” Yuuri said.

“I’ll inform the kitchen that you two need a proper meal,” Michele said. “But before that Emil wishes to see you.”

Yuuri perked up at the mention of Emil. Now that the Katsukis had returned in full numbers Yuuri had sent the beta up north to do some digging. He hadn’t expected Emil to return so soon, but then realised that the time only felt short because he had spent the past three days locked in his bedroom with Viktor.

“He’s in the library,” Michele said, and Yuuri stepped to the hallway, all ready to go.

He then turned back to the bedroom after realising that he wasn’t wearing any pants. Viktor was crouching in bed.

“Do you want to wait for me or go eat first?” Yuuri asked. “I need to take care of this thing first.”

Viktor bit his lip in thought. It was odd to see the omega turn so self-protective again after they had – Yuuri felt – gotten so much closer.

“I’ll wait,” Viktor finally said as Yuuri pulled his pants up.

“I’ll try to hurry,” Yuuri said.

He leaned towards Viktor and kissed his cheek. He didn’t miss the small wince of panic in the way Viktor tried to simultaneously pull away and keep his head still. Yuuri smiled, pretending that it didn’t hurt him, pretending that he didn’t notice.

“I’ll see you soon,” he said.

His smile dropped as soon as he had turned his back to the omega. Michele closed the door behind them and walked with him towards the library.

“Viktor doesn’t seem so sad now,” Michele said.

Yuuri turned to look at the beta in surprise.

“His face was so sad before,” Michele continued. “It was painful to look at him and know that something awful must have happened to turn his eyes so sorrowful. But it seems to have lifted now.”

“Has it?” Yuuri asked.

He hadn’t noticed anything like that. It frustrated him. He knew that he had trouble reading Viktor, but maybe this was proof that he was doing an awful job.

“The way he looks at you,” Michele said softly. “It’s incredible to see the change in him.”

Yuuri nodded quietly. Michele excused himself and left him on his own by the library door.

Yuuri hadn’t realised that Michele was able to look at Viktor without the same hostility the beta had first felt at the omega for having scratched him. Maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise; after all, Michele was a caring person who was looking after his sister.

Then there was what the beta had said about Viktor. Yuuri was glad to know that Michele seemed to understand the omega’s issues and was delighted to see a difference there. Yuuri thought about the way Viktor was looking at him this morning and tried to differentiate it from the way he had been looking at Yuuri before. The past three days were mostly a blur of emotions and physical closeness, pheromones clouding both their judgement. Yuuri had to go all the way back to the day when Viktor had first arrived to remember the hostile insecurity in his eyes.

Viktor had come a long way in a short time. Yuuri wondered if it was normal for things to change so fast. He had no idea about the workings of human mind.

With a sigh Yuuri finally opened the door to the library and stepped inside. Emil greeted him with a nod.

“Did you find anything?” Yuuri asked, wasting no time.

Emil presented him with a bunch of papers.

“Eduard Daniil Volkov,” Emil said, with a serious face, “has a criminal record.”

“What?” Yuuri asked and reached for the papers.

“He seems to be a violent person,” Emil continued. “He has many convictions of minor assaults, a few bigger cases too, but mostly less serious stuff.”

Yuuri looked at the paper that was Eduard Volkov’s criminal record. There was a long list of incidents, most of them having to do with smaller fights.

“An interesting feature is that about 15 years ago, his crimes stopped,” Emil said. “He wasn’t a participant in any fights for about a decade.”

“And then,” Yuuri said to himself as he looked at the dates on the record.

“Then he went back to his old ways,” Emil said. “The more serious assaults took place after he started fighting again.”

Yuuri had stopped at the date on the first assault charge that had taken place after the break. It had been about three years before. It must have been after Viktor and Yuri had fled.

“That’s awful,” Yuuri growled when he realised what the record implied.

“So, you’ve probably come to the same conclusion as I did,” Emil said. “During his quiet years, he must have had someone to beat at home.”

Yuuri cringed at the thought. He had already known that Viktor’s life with the alpha had been miserable, but the knowledge that he had been living with a man who would regularly go out and cause a disturbance until he got an omega was completely unbearable.

“I also found out that he’s not exactly rich but does have a decent amount of money,” Emil said.

“I thought so,” Yuuri said.

“He has lived in the same house for three decades,” Emil continued. “It seems that after he had bought his second omega, he was short on money. He hasn’t been able to afford to replace them.”

“That’s just good,” Yuuri sniffed. “He should never be allowed to have omegas.”

“It’s a tricky situation,” Emil said. “We can’t do anything about their laws. I got the impression that up north they are quite lax on overseeing the omega laws.”

“That’s terrible,” Yuuri said. “I wonder if Phichit could help it in any way.”

“It’s possible,” Emil said, but didn’t sound hopeful.

Yuuri turned a page to look at a drawing of a man.

“That’s him,” he said quietly.

Eduard Volkov had neatly combed hair, beady eyes and thin lips. His nose didn’t stand out in any particular way, he was tall and well-dressed.

“How old is this picture?” Yuuri asked and tried to find the answer.

“I think it’s rather new,” Emil said. “I got the impression that that’s the newest picture they have of him.”

“He looks surprisingly young,” Yuuri said thoughtfully, trying to calculate the man’s possible age.

“He’s turning 60 this year,” Emil said.

“He is?”

Yuuri wouldn’t have thought so based on the picture. Either Eduard Volkov was youthful or the artist was bad at depicting people as their own age. He turned to the next page, which was detailing Volkov’s violent crimes.

“Has there been any investigation into how he treats his omegas?” he asked, leafing through the papers.

“No,” Emil said. “Like I said, they’re not big on enforcing those laws.”

Yuuri shook his head in disappointment.

“I did also find information about Viktor and Yuri,” Emil said, pointing to two other stacks of paper. “I wasn’t sure if you want that, so I just brought it with me in case.”

“Oh,” was all Yuuri was capable of.

He had not expected to come up with anything to do with the two omegas. He wasn’t sure he wanted to have come up with anything.

“Did you read those?” he asked the beta.

Emil nodded. Yuuri bit his lip in thought.

“I’ll take them,” he said slowly.

Emil handed the stacks of papers to him. Yuuri put them to the bottom of his pile.

“You probably don’t want to read about him,” Emil said. “I wasn’t sure what to do.”

“It’s fine,” Yuuri said. “Better safe than sorry, right.”

Emil smiled.

“Sorry you had to go on such a long trip,” Yuuri said then.

“No worries,” Emil said with a smirk. “It gave me time to think, and I made a resolution.”

“That sounds… positive,” Yuuri responded.

Emil laughed.

“It is,” he said. “I also already followed through with it.”

“May I inquire as to what it was?” Yuuri asked.

Emil’s smirk got wider.

“I asked Michele out,” he said.

Yuuri responded with a sincere smile.

“Good for you!” he said. “Clearly an indirect approach wasn’t working.”

Emil laughed at that.

“You’re right,” he said. “Poor guy had no idea of my intentions.”

“Did he say yes?” Yuuri asked. “Or is that a secret?”

“I guess it’s a secret,” Emil said. “But let me tell you I’m not smiling for nothing.”

Yuuri laughed at that.

“I wish you luck with him,” he said. “You better remain direct.”

Emil nodded, a big smile plastered on his face.

“Thank you for all this,” Yuuri said and lifted the papers in his hand. “I really appreciate the effort.”

With a few more words Emil left the library, and after pondering for a while, Yuuri left the room too. He had to dine with Viktor.

*

The morning was pleasantly lazy. Yuuri enjoyed spending time with Viktor, although the omega had withdrawn a bit. Yuuri expected that to be normal. After all, spending their heat and rut together had been sudden. It must have concerned Viktor.

Yuuri was slightly disappointed when Yuri showed up to take Viktor out, but he thought that the distance might do good to Viktor. If the younger omega noticed the new mark on Viktor’s neck and his lack of collar, he didn’t say anything. Yuuri wondered if Yuri would ever understand Viktor’s decisions.

It was during dinner that Yuuri’s parents told him they wanted to talk. As much as Yuuri had been expecting it, it soured his mood to know that he would have to talk to his parents about what had happened between him and Viktor. He could only hope that they had understood how serious he was about the omega.

Viktor hadn’t returned yet, which was also making Yuuri nervous. The last time Viktor had been out, the omega had been gone all day and had cut his hair. Yuuri could only hope that this time Viktor wasn’t bothered by something like that.

Yuuri’s thoughts were still on Viktor when he followed his parents to his father’s office and sat down. Despite being so preoccupied, he didn’t miss the look of worry on his parents’ faces.

“What did you want to talk about?” Yuuri asked.

“We received word from your sister,” his mother said. “She’s coming to visit soon.”

“She’s excited to meet your future bride,” his father added.

Yuuri closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves before looking at his parents again.

“Mila is not my future bride,” he said. “She knows it too. She’s not exactly disappointed.”

“Yuuri,” his mother said with heartache in her voice. “You must give her a chance.”

“No,” Yuuri said. “You two must give Viktor a chance. He’s my future husband.”

There was a look of displeasure on his father’s face.

“We can’t accept that,” his mother said. “He’s not right for you.”

“Too bad I’ve already claimed him,” Yuuri snapped.

“That’s fine,” his father said. “We can allow him to stay as your omega, but he has to live somewhere else.”

“It’s not what we would have wanted,” his mother added. “But what’s done is done.”

“Stop talking like I made a mistake!” Yuuri said and leaned forward on his chair. “He’s the only one for me!”

“Yuuri, honey,” his mother said. “We know that his past is complicated.”

That was unexpected, and Yuuri was taken aback. He slumped back to his chair and stared at his parents.

“What we’re trying to make you see,” his father continued, “is that you don’t know if he’s trustworthy.”

“He’s of a suspicious character,” his mother added.

“We have talked to Nishigori about this,” his father said. “You can’t try to change what he’s told us.”

“You’ve talked to Takeshi?” Yuuri asked weakly. “Behind my back?”

“I’m sorry, Yuuri,” his mother said sincerely.

“You never tried to interfere with my life like this,” Yuuri said. “Why are you doing it now?”

“Because we have found such a good chance for you,” his mother said with a smile. “We have found your last chance to get a bride who’s the right age and doesn’t have scandals in her background.”

“We are also seeing that you’re making a mistake,” his father said. “We can’t let you ruin your life just for a youthful fancy.”

“Youthful fancy,” Yuuri repeated numbly. “I’m not exactly at the age to be having ‘youthful fancies’.”

“I know it’s hard to see right now,” his mother said soothingly. “Eventually you will see that this was the right decision.”

“Can I be excused now?” Yuuri asked without trying to argue.

He got the permission to leave, and did so without a second thought. He closed the door behind himself and stood still for a moment. He was blinking at the empty hallway.

So, Takeshi had convinced his parents that Viktor was bad news?

Takeshi had convinced his parents that Viktor would be better off living somewhere else?

Before, Yuuri had been sure that his parents were the only people standing in his way. He had thought that he would eventually get through to them, make them see who Viktor really was. He had been certain that everyone – especially his own staff – was supporting him.

“Takeshi!” he yelled so hard that his throat hurt.

Yuuri stomped off, rage burning intensely inside him. He called out to his bodyguard once more, knowing that it wouldn’t take any more effort on his part – someone in the house had heard him and would make sure that Takeshi came to him.

Because Yuuri didn’t have any official duties, he didn’t have an office. He had established the library as his makeshift office whenever he had some important business to take care of. He knew that Takeshi would know where to find him, and he stomped into the room that was filled with books from all over the world. He looked at the spines of the books, not able to read a word of the titles because of his anger. His arms were crossed and he was squeezing his elbows with both hands.

The door creaked slightly when it opened and closed. Yuuri’s entire body shook with anger, and he took a moment before turning towards the alpha that was standing by the door.

“Takeshi,” Yuuri said, voice cracking.

He would have to stay calm. He needed to calm down. He was an adult, and as an adult he could solve the situation without yelling or relying on his alpha status.

“You wanted to see me,” Takeshi said and nodded.

He should have bowed. If Nishigori Takeshi knew what was good for him, he should have bowed down so deep that his forehead hit the floor and remain in the position begging for forgiveness.

“I hear you’ve been talking to my parents,” Yuuri said.

“They asked me for an opinion, yes,” Takeshi confirmed.

Yuuri let his arms relax by his sides. He felt sudden calm take over him. It was the calm before a storm, and it was partly intimidating, because he never felt it unless he was going into rut.

“And what was your opinion?” he asked, almost sweetly.

“That we don’t know anything about him,” Takeshi replied.

Yuuri found both of his hands squeezing into fists.

“Maybe you don’t,” he said, “but I know enough to trust him.”

Takeshi took a step forward.

“Yuuri,” he said calmly, as if talking to a misbehaving child. “You only know what he’s told you. You can’t trust a stray omega’s word.”

“Shut up!” Yuuri screamed and slammed his hand on the table that was conveniently in front of him.

Takeshi was clearly taken aback by this burst of anger.

“You don’t know where my information comes from,” Yuuri continued, eyes slits. “You need to stay out of things that have nothing to do with you.”

Takeshi looked shocked. In his anger Yuuri realised that even counting all his pre-rut explosions, he had never been this angry with his staff. No one had ever given him a reason to be so upset, feel so betrayed, and he would have never thought it could happen.

“I thought I could trust you,” Yuuri said.

“Of course, you can trust me,” Takeshi tried, but was cut off.

“Clearly, I can’t,” Yuuri hissed. “How dare you go behind my back and spread such lies? How dare you betray me so thoroughly?”

Takeshi had paled and took a step back. His eyes had widened a fraction as he looked at Yuuri, who now rounded the table to lean back on it, arms crossed again.

“They wanted a second opinion,” Takeshi said. “They’re worried about you.”

“And you?” Yuuri asked. “You’re also worried about me?”

“Yes,” the other alpha replied immediately.

Yuuri recognised it to be genuine, but it didn’t change the way he felt. He looked at his bodyguard with disgust.

“After all these years, you don’t trust me to be able to make sound decisions?” Yuuri challenged. “You think I’m a poor judge of character?”

“I think there’s a chance that the omega is messing with your head,” Takeshi said.

Yuuri laughed. He had never heard someone mischaracterise a person so horribly.

“How would he do that?” he asked, still laughing, “when he’s always wearing his collar? He can’t lure me with a scent that I can’t smell.”

“He wasn’t exactly hesitant to drop his collar the moment he thought he was losing his hold of you,” Takeshi said back, sounding slightly irritated.

“Now you’re blaming him for going into heat?” Yuuri asked. “Are you stupid, Nishigori?”

The bodyguard flinched at the use of his family name.

“Omegas don’t control their heat cycle,” Yuuri spat out.

“I didn’t mean that,” Takeshi mumbled.

“Haven’t you and Michele spent years trying to find an omega for me?” Yuuri continued. “Isn’t that why you keep dragging them in and making me do all the work to find them a new home?”

Takeshi opened his mouth, but then didn’t say anything. Yuuri had known that was the real reason behind the alpha and beta’s will to rescue omegas, but had never pointed it out. It had become an unspoken rule between the three of them.

“So, tell me,” Yuuri continued. “Why aren’t you happy now that you found the right omega for me?”

“Because he’s supposed to be an omega, not a life partner,” Takeshi said with a frown.

“But isn’t that what omegas are, ultimately?” Yuuri asked. “They’re life partners. It’s not like they’re some recyclable commodity that you can toss away when you’re done with them. They’re a life-long commitment, don’t you think?”

Takeshi took a step back, and his back hit the door.

“What exactly is so wrong in falling in love?” Yuuri continued. “Why is it any different to fall in love with an omega than it is to fall in love with a beta? Why is it so scandalous for me to fall in love with Viktor?”

The other alpha bit his lips together and stayed quiet.

“I know you can’t say anything to that,” Yuuri said calmly and stepped forward. “There’s nothing to say, because it’s not wrong.”

“Nevertheless, you can’t be sure about him,” Takeshi said.

“I told you to shut up,” Yuuri snapped.

Takeshi flinched as Yuuri uncrossed his arms and walked towards him.

“You will never be asked for an opinion again, Nishigori,” Yuuri said. “You have betrayed me, when you should have been the one guarding me.”

“I’m sorry,” Takeshi said. “I just can’t bring myself to trust a wild omega.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Yuuri said and stopped a few steps away from the other alpha. “You are no longer in Katsuki family’s service. You need to leave, immediately.”

Takeshi’s mouth opened in shock.

“Yuuri,” he tried.

“Nishigori,” Yuuri said, voice so icy it chilled him too. “Now.”

Takeshi swallowed. His eyes were glistening and he blinked them a few times. His lower lip was trembling as he bowed deep.

“It has been an honour to serve you, Katsuki-sama,” he said.

Yuuri didn’t respond. He held his head high and looked down to the other man, when Takeshi straightened himself and turned around. He opened the door slowly, turned back to look at Yuuri with teary eyes, before turning around and walking out. The door was left ajar, and Yuuri watched his former friend walk away without turning back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. One more chapter left. I have already written it, haven't read it through even once. But I'm pretty sure it won't take me more than a few days to post it. How exciting!
> 
> As you may have noticed, I've turned this into a series. Let's just say that after you've read the ending you'll understand exactly why.


	13. Chapter 13

Coming down from heat had never been so calm. At first it had been horrible because the master hadn’t helped him and had discouraged him from pleasuring himself, leaving him with a feeling of unfulfillment and dissatisfaction. It always caused Viktor to brood for several days, which in turn made the master angry. After he and Yuri had escaped, his heats had become even worse because he was afraid that his collar wouldn’t stop alphas from smelling him, that his slick would smell strongly enough to attract alphas, that the noises he made while trying to pleasure himself would catch the attention of an alpha. Yuri would stand guard because they had to stay in one location for the few days, and the need of an alpha was so strong that Viktor cried until his throat ached and eyes were swollen. Afterwards he would feel raw and unhappy, leaving Yuri again causing him more anxiety than usual.

This time, however, Viktor felt like something in his life had finally been fulfilled in the way it was supposed to happen. He felt completely satisfied and at ease, body not aching in weird places just because he hadn’t been knotted. He flinched when he turned his head, lifted his fingers to his neck to feel the uneven edges of Yuuri’s teeth marks.

He was now carrying Yuuri’s mark. He had known it would happen, and he had been prepared for it, but he wasn’t sure how it made him feel now that it was there. He turned to look at Yuuri, whose scent was oddly restless. The alpha was staring at the ceiling in deep thought. Viktor wanted Yuuri to feel just as good as he did.

Yuuri’s scent was even better than before. Viktor wondered if it was because they had been bodily connected rather than just rubbing against one another. He felt like Yuuri’s scent was now also inside him, and it made him feel calm. He had never imagined that an alpha’s scent could feel so good and so right.

Viktor was happy.

He nuzzled closer to Yuuri and closed his eyes. His heart was beating differently. Could this really be what happiness was? He had given up on dreaming about the day when everything around him would feel calm and he wouldn’t have to cower in fear of being struck. Was it even possible for him to be happy?

It was scary. Everything was easier before Yuuri, because Viktor had known exactly what he was supposed to do and what he was supposed to avoid in order to survive. Now he wasn’t sure, even though he had been so clearly told that he was allowed to make his own life.

Viktor remembered the other omega in Yuuri’s room. He hadn’t wanted to remember it, it simply popped into his head. Yuuri’s restlessness wasn’t helping, so he sighed and rolled to his back before sitting up. The alpha had some explaining to do.

*

Viktor was still shaken by his conversation with Yuuri, when the alpha left to meet with his servant. Slowly Viktor got out of bed and searched for his clothes. The ones he had been wearing when he first came in to the room a few days back had been taken away, but he found new clothes nearly folded on a chair. He lifted up the long kaftan and found it to be exactly his size. Had Yuuri managed to get him some clothes of his own even when he was occupied?

Slowly Viktor got dressed. He was thinking about the omega called Kenjirou, who had a crush on Yuuri and volunteered to spend the alpha’s ruts with him. The omega was cute, he even had a cute name, while Viktor was just Viktor. He wondered if Yuuri might have pursued a more personal relationship with Kenjirou if he didn’t already belong to the prince. No, the omega didn’t belong to anyone. He was just…

Viktor didn’t know how else to put it. As much as he detested the idea of being someone’s belongings, he couldn’t change the fact that in the eye of the law that’s exactly what omegas were. However, his time with Yuuri had made him wonder if maybe most alphas treated their belongings far better than his master had.

With a frown, Viktor shook his head. He would have to stop calling Eduard Volkov his master, even in his head.

He thought about the golden chains on Kenjirou’s hips, and wondered if Yuuri would like him to dress like that as well. As an omega, he should learn to be desirable to his alpha, shouldn’t he?

But he would never have such cute, small stature, no matter how much he wanted. He would always be too tall. He would always have such unappealing messy pubic hair that it wouldn’t look better with any amount of elaborate gold chains surrounding it.

What would have happened if Viktor hadn’t made it to Yuuri’s room when he did? The alpha would have fucked that cute small omega to satisfy his urges. Viktor would have been able to smell it later, he knew. He would have known that Yuuri had touched someone else.

Yuuri kept saying that Viktor was all he wanted, but was it true? Viktor found himself wanting for it to be true. He wanted it so bad that it hurt. However, Yuuri was ready to take someone else to his bed, even if he was doing it out of concern for Viktor.

It was too complicated, and Viktor didn’t know how he should feel. He was thankful that Yuuri was thinking about him, thinking that he might go along with the idea of helping Yuuri through his rut even if he wasn’t ready for it. But Yuuri was simply assuming. Viktor was almost certain that if he hadn’t gone into heat himself, he wouldn’t have done it. He wouldn’t have been so inclined to become everything for Yuuri, if the other omega hadn’t been there, all naked and showing off his perfect hairless omega cock.

It was unfair, Viktor thought, that Yuuri got to decide everything. Yuuri got to decide that Viktor wasn’t ready, so he should be kept in the dark about what was going on. Yuuri hadn’t come to his rescue when he was calling for help, when he was dragged away from the only alpha who had ever mattered to him at all. Why wasn’t Viktor allowed to choose?

Viktor wanted to think about something else, because he was getting tired of not knowing how to feel. He was getting bitter, but that didn’t change the fact that his heart was overjoyed with the idea that Yuuri was thinking about his safety.

Then there was the issue of children. Would Yuuri want children? The alpha had had no way of knowing that Viktor was infertile because of something that had happened in the past. Maybe it would change things. It would definitely change the way Yuuri’s parents thought about Viktor for worse. They would never allow their son to be with someone who was unable to give them offspring.

His hand raised up without him realising it, fingers pressing onto his claim mark. It stung. He wouldn’t be able to wear a collar until the mark had healed properly. Maybe he wouldn’t have to wear a collar at all – now he had been claimed by Yuuri and wouldn’t be considered an outlaw. Now he appeared to be someone’s property. In three years, he had gotten used to wearing a collar at all times, and the knowledge that from this moment onward he would be able to smell his own scent was odd. Yuuri’s scent was now heavy on him, it was in his pores, in his soul even, but it mingled well with his own scent instead of clashing like the master’s scent had.

Viktor dropped down onto the bed, face burying into a pillow. It smelled like Yuuri and sex, and Viktor’s cheeks were heating up. He thought about the way he had lain there on the bed and spread his legs, even pulled his ass cheeks apart to show off his slick-soaked hole. He thought about the way Yuuri had kissed his ankle while fucking into him, how Yuuri’s come had spurted inside him so many times that it made his stomach bulge.

Now that he thought about it, it was all embarrassing. He wouldn’t be able to so completely bare himself to the alpha again, but maybe with time. At latest it would happen with his next heat.

*

The moment Yuri showed up, Viktor forgot all about Yuuri, he had to admit. This time Yuri wasn’t stopped by the guards, but was escorted to the parlour where he was looking out the window with arms crossed and a scowl on his face when Viktor opened the door. Yuri’s eyes dropped to his neck, and Viktor knew from the minute darkening of the other omega’s expression that his new status as Yuuri’s claimed omega wasn’t appreciated. Yuri, however, kept his mouth shut.

“Let’s go,” he only said, making his way to the door and pushing past Viktor.

Yuuri smiled at them as they headed out, Viktor following the smaller omega who was stomping away like a kid throwing a tantrum. They walked quietly, Yuri with his head low but eyes noticing every movement around them. Viktor could feel eyes on him, but it was different from before – now he saw people smile at the fresh mark on his neck before going back to their own business. Nobody scowled, nobody looked like they were contemplating whether they should call the authorities or try to capture him themselves. Viktor would have never thought he could go out without a collar and feel so safe.

“So, you finally became his bitch,” Yuri eventually said.

His voice was angry and bitter, and Viktor flinched at the words.

“That’s not it,” he said, unable to repeat the words.

Yuri sniffed angrily, his entire body rigid as his hands pressed into fists, but didn’t say anything.

They arrived to a guesthouse and circled round to the back. Viktor’s heart was beating in excitement, and then he finally saw the man he had missed so dearly.

“Yakov!” he shouted and ran up to the man to hug him.

“Vitenka!” the man replied with equal enthusiasm and pulled Viktor against his soft frame. “I’ve been worried about you.”

Viktor was crying. He hadn’t seen Yakov in over a year, had been equally worried about the man’s safety. When Yakov had said that he would stay in their hometown, Viktor had tried to convince him otherwise in the fear that the master would do something. So far, his fears hadn’t come to fruition, but you could never know. Maybe the master had been planning all this time, just waiting for the right moment.

“Let me look at you,” Yakov said and pushed Viktor an arm’s length away to look at him from head to toe.

Viktor wiped his tears away and smiled.

“I’m surprised to see you look so healthy,” Yakov said. “It’s good.”

“Do I look healthy?” Viktor asked, seriously surprised.

“You’re still very thin,” Yakov said, “but there’s a healthy glow on your face. And your hair looks good too. You’ve been taking good care of yourself.”

Viktor looked down as he blushed.

“Someone else has been taking care of me,” he said shyly.

“I heard you have been taken in by an alpha,” Yakov said.

He sat down on a chair and gestured for Viktor to sit down too. Yuri was already sitting on a chair of his own, his feet pulled up and the lower part of his face hidden behind his knees.

“Yuuri has been good to me,” Viktor said.

His cheeks were burning. He hadn’t prepared to talk about Yuuri to Yakov, even though he had known that he would have to.

“Do you feel safe with him?” Yakov asked.

Viktor nodded and looked up to the man, meeting his eyes.

“He treats me with dignity,” he said so quietly it was nearly a whisper.

Yakov smiled, eyes crinkling.

“I’m glad to hear that,” he said. “How did you meet him? I want to hear in your words.”

Yakov glanced at Yuri, and Viktor knew that the boy had given some sort of explanation about him ending up in the Katsuki household. So, he told Yakov everything that had happened to him. The man’s forehead creased when he talked about how it all began, but the worry melted into a smile as his story progressed.

“It sounds like he’s doing everything he can to make you comfortable,” Yakov said. “The question is, do you think you can trust him?”

Viktor fiddled with his fingers.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “I trust him.”

Yakov nodded.

“Stupid,” Yuri grumbled.

Viktor turned to look at the small omega, who was resting his mouth against his knees, picking on the skin of his leg.

“I want to trust him,” Viktor said.

“That’s not the same as knowing you can,” Yuri said, a frown taking over his forehead. “You’re stupid.”

Viktor’s heart ached. He wanted to yell at Yuri for saying such awful things, but the knowledge of their shared past was enough to stop him from doing something so childish.

“Yuratchka,” Yakov said placatingly. “You may feel like no alpha is trustworthy, and maybe that’s how you want to live your life. Viktor’s path can be different from yours, and it’s still equally good.”

“It’s not good if it gets him hurt,” Yuri said, raising his voice a bit but then snapping his mouth shut.

“I know you worry for his safety,” Yakov said. “But at some point, you will have to change your worry into support. It’s not easy for Viktor to trust an alpha, and he needs your support to change his life into something he wants.”

Yuri wasn’t looking at either of them, focused on his own knees.

“How come you let him deface you like that?” he asked quietly. “How did you let him hurt you so?”

Viktor blinked a few times before realising what Yuri was talking about. He lifted his hand to the wound on his neck, flinching slightly when it stung.

“It didn’t hurt,” he said. “I… I went into heat.”

“Liar!” Yuri shouted immediately, finally raising his head to aim a fiery glare at Viktor, pointing a finger at him in accusation. “I know you just had your heat a couple of weeks ago!”

“He went into rut,” Viktor said. “It triggered my heat. I… I didn’t know it could happen.”

“It does happen,” Yakov said. “It usually happens when an omega and an alpha get close. I was always surprised it didn’t happen before, but it’s normal that alpha and omega partners have their cycles in synch.”

Yuri turned to glare at Yakov this time, and Viktor was partly waiting for the omega to accuse the beta of being a liar. He didn’t, only scowled, and then returned to leaning on his knees.

The information wasn’t new to Viktor; he had read it in a book. However, it felt good to have confirmation from someone he knew he could trust. His thought drifted to other things he had read about, and he wanted to get confirmation to those too.

“Yakov,” Viktor said. “Can I ask you something?”

Yakov smiled at him with the same smile he always used when Viktor needed something. The omega glanced at Yuri who was now staring daggers at him.

“Let’s take a walk,” Yakov said, understanding what was keeping Viktor from speaking.

Yuri grunted in distaste, but Viktor chose to ignore that. He knew that the boy was still young and had grown up to form a very warped image of the world. Viktor needed to talk to Yakov about things that the younger alpha might not understand or even want to hear about.

He followed Yakov to the other end of the yard.

“Do I have a trauma?” he asked, when he figured that they were far enough for Yuri to not hear.

Yakov turned to look at him in surprise.

“Where did you learn about that?” the beta asked.

“I was reading a book,” Viktor said shyly.

“You’ve been reading a book on such a difficult topic?” Yakov asked. “I’m proud of you, Vitya.”

Viktor blushed like he always did when Yakov praised him. Yakov had been the only person to genuinely praise him ever since he had been sold to the master, and now the man was glowing with happiness, like he always did.

“Well, do I?” Viktor asked.

Yakov sighed and stopped.

“Yes, Viktor,” he said. “Your life has been very traumatic, and you’re suffering from it.”

Viktor thought about this information. How did it change things?

“Is that why I still have trouble trusting Yuuri?” he asked.

Yakov gave the same quiet laugh he always did when Viktor asked something he couldn’t answer.

“It is a part of it, yes,” the man said. “I dare say it’s a big part of it. Maybe even the only reason. I can’t tell you for sure because I haven’t met him.”

Viktor nodded in understanding.

“Then why am I trusting him so much?” he asked.

Yakov smiled.

“Traumas heal, Viktor,” he said. “It sounds like you have found someone who can help you cope and eventually heal.”

Viktor blinked in surprise. If he was being honest, he had expected that Yakov would try to convince him to leave Yuuri for his own safety. Maybe he should have known better; Yakov was a wise man. Yakov understood.

He and Yakov returned to Yuri who was looking as glum as ever, holding his knees with his hands and back curved.

“I have a suggestion to the two of you,” Yakov said when they had sat down.

Yuri lifted his gaze but not his head.

“I’m moving to a new town,” Yakov said. “It’s closer to this place, but I would love to see the both of you more often than I can with such distance between us. I would gladly have the two of you move in with me.”

Yuri’s head shot up and his eyes were wide, glowing with hope.

“I realise,” Yakov said and turned to Viktor, “that you have found somewhere to call home. I won’t blame you if you want to stay with Yuuri.”

Yuri grunted in annoyance. Viktor bit his lip in thought.

“I will come and visit,” Yakov said.

“I’ll go with you,” Yuri said then.

Yakov turned to look at him with a wide smile.

“I’m happy,” he said. “It will be easier for all of us to know that we’re all safe.”

Yuri looked at Viktor with a telling glance, but didn’t say anything. Viktor was staring forward, trying hard to not burst to tears or say that he’ll go.

“I will be leaving tomorrow morning,” Yakov said. “You have to decide for yourself, Viktor, what you want to do.”

Viktor found himself holding onto Yakov’s collar on his wrist.

“The decision you make today doesn’t have to be the final one,” Yakov said, and Viktor turned to look at him. “At any time, if you decide otherwise, you can come live with me. You don’t have to feel bad no matter what you want to do.”

Viktor burst to quiet tears. Yakov stood up and came over to hug him.

“It’s not much different from how things have been so far,” Yakov said. “And at least now I know that you’re safe.”

Viktor pulled Yakov against him in a tight grip, crying against his shoulder. The beta stroked his hair in a soothing manner, then pulled away.

“You’re much stronger than you think, Vitya,” he said with a smile. “You can build your own life in exactly the way you want.”

Viktor turned to look at Yuri who was biting his teeth, brows in a deep frown. He was holding his knees in a bruising grip.

“Yura,” Viktor said, voice breaking.

The young omega jumped up from his chair and ran over, climbing onto Viktor’s lap and crying against his neck.

“It’s going to be fine,” Viktor whispered.

*

It felt odd to return through the front door. Viktor had never used the front entrance by himself, and for a moment he was contemplating using the servants’ entrance in the back. However, he decided that if he was going to call this place home, he would have to learn to be comfortable with it.

His entry was quiet and uneventful. There was no one to tell him to go away. He first saw a servant after he was on his way up the stairs, the beta hurrying through the corridor in such pace that he didn’t even turn to look at Viktor.

Viktor wanted to find Yuuri, and decided to start from Yuuri’s bedroom. After taking a few steps towards the bedrooms, he thought that maybe he could find a new book to read, something more about _trauma_. Maybe reading would help him understand himself more.

So, Viktor turned around and headed to the library instead. He took a hold of the doorknob when he heard voices inside. He hesitated. Maybe he shouldn’t go in, but then he recognised Yuuri’s way of talking, and couldn’t stop himself from cracking the door open just a little bit.

“Shut up!” Yuuri screamed, and Viktor flinched.

For a fleeting moment, he thought that Yuuri had been angry at him, before his rationality caught up and he knew that if Yuuri knew he was at the door, he wouldn’t have told him to keep quiet.

“You need to stay out of things that have nothing to do with you,” Yuuri said, and it put Viktor’s nerves on edge again.

This conversation, surely, was something that had nothing to do with him. He shouldn’t be listening to other people’s conversations in the first place.

However, Viktor found himself glued to the spot.

Yuuri was angry. Viktor could smell it as well as hear it. Yuuri was upset and hurt, and Viktor wanted to find out a way to make it better. Maybe, just maybe, he would figure out what to do if he stayed and listened.

“I thought I could trust you,” Yuuri said more quietly.

“You can trust me,” said the other person, who Viktor now recognised as the alpha, Takeshi.

“How dare you go behind my back and spread such lies?” Yuuri demanded.

Viktor wondered what was going on. He couldn’t think of anything that Yuuri’s bodyguard might lie about to other people, but maybe that was simply because Viktor was new to life like this: all rules and wealth performed in certain ways.

“They’re worried about you,” Viktor heard Takeshi say.

The guard must have been standing close to the door, and Viktor was suddenly very aware of his lack of collar. The alpha – or both alphas for that matter – might smell him. He didn’t want to be found out listening to them in secret. He pulled the door even more closed, the voice getting slightly muffled, but still easily distinguishable.

“I think there’s a chance that the omega is messing with your head,” Takeshi said, and Viktor’s heart skipped a beat when he realised that the alpha must have been talking about him.

Yuuri laughed in response. It was a terrifying, dry laugh that Viktor would never want to hear aimed at him.

“He can’t lure me with a scent that I can’t smell,” Yuuri pointed out, laughing still.

“He wasn’t exactly hesitant to drop his collar the moment he thought he was losing his hold of you,” Takeshi immediately responded.

“Now you’re blaming him for going into heat?” Yuuri asked, hints of laugher in his voice. “Are you stupid, Nishigori?”

It was reassuring to know that Yuuri was standing up to Viktor, so clearly trusting of him. However, the implications of the conversation were that Takeshi had been telling other people in the house that Viktor wasn’t trustworthy. There was no way to know what that would change. It might not change much at all. Yuuri’s parents would still dislike him, look at him with that appraising look of disappointment in their son’s choices.

With half his attention Viktor listened to how Yuuri talked to his bodyguard about the omegas they had rescued. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to find out that the underlying motive was something else than helping omegas, especially because Yuuri didn’t really talk about it, but it did surprise Viktor in the wrong way. He hated how disappointment filled him.

So preoccupied by his thoughts that he didn’t hear what was being said, Viktor jumped back when something hit the door. He stared at the wood, waiting for someone to come out and shout at him, but nothing happened.

“Why is it any different to fall in love with an omega than it is to fall in love with a beta?” Viktor heard Yuuri ask. “Why is it so scandalous for me to fall in love with Viktor?”

Heavy silence followed.

“You can’t be sure about him,” Takeshi then said.

As quietly as he could, Viktor pulled the door closed, hoping that the alpha standing next to it wouldn’t notice.

“I told you to shut up,” he heard Yuuri say angrily before the door mumbled their voices.

Viktor could still make out that the two were talking, but couldn’t hear the words. With soft footsteps, he headed to his room and closed the door behind.

It was quiet. The scent of Yuuri’s disappointed anger lingered in his memory. He thought back to what Yakov had said: “People heal.”

Yuuri was upset now, but eventually he would get over it. He would have other things to occupy his time, and the fight with his childhood friend would be forgotten.

“It sounds like you have found someone who can help you heal,” Yakov had said.

Three years ago, Yakov had been, Viktor thought, the only person he could trust. Yakov had always been there, it seemed, always ready to help him with whatever he needed. Being with Yakov had always been easy.

As much as it hurt, Viktor knew what he would have to do.

*

The morning was cold. Viktor huddled in his nest and hoped that he hadn’t sent Yuuri away on the night before, saying that he wanted to be alone. Sometimes the alpha was too kind, too easily let Viktor decide. Viktor hugged the pillow that still smelled like Yuuri. The scent was fading, being replaced by Viktor’s own.

Viktor opened his eyes and sat up. He pushed the closet door open and got up. The sun was rising. It was quiet.

Viktor got dressed in the clothes that Yuuri had provided him with. He picked up the collar that he couldn’t wear now that his claim mark was still so fresh and hid it in the drapes of his clothing. He turned to the nest and picked up a shirt that he had stolen from Yuuri’s dirty clothes hamper. He folded it neatly and held onto it like it was his most important treasure.

With soft steps Viktor made it out the door of his room. The hallway was quiet. Viktor listened, but couldn’t hear even the softest of creaks. He glanced towards Yuuri’s door, but then turned his back at it and walked over to the stairs. Slowly he made his way down, stopping after each step and listening. He couldn’t hear anything; no one was following, no one even knew he was up.

Viktor pattered to the front door, glanced back towards the stairs. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe he was secretly hoping that Yuuri would stand there and look at him with sleepy eyes and ask where he was going. Maybe Viktor wanted to be stopped.

His heart sank when nobody could be seen or heard. Maybe he not so secretly had wanted to be given a sign that this wasn’t the right thing to do. However, it seemed that the world had nothing against his decision.

After Viktor walked out the front door, he didn’t turn back again. He made his way through the garden and to the gate, then out to the street.

He stood still for a while, giving the universe one last chance to stop him. Nothing happened. He couldn’t see anyone out.

Viktor ran all the way to the guesthouse.

“Vitya!” Yakov greeted him with his rich accent.

It made Viktor feel like home. Maybe that was the sign he had been waiting for.

“I decided to come with you,” he said quietly.

Yakov raised his brows, but didn’t say anything. He smiled.

“I’m happy,” the beta said.

Yuri was frowning, and Viktor knew the omega was burning to ask what had gone wrong. For once it seemed that the boy knew when he shouldn’t speak. He did raise an eyebrow at the shirt Viktor was holding against his chest, but that was it.

Yakov had already gotten his cart ready to go, and the horse was just being brought out of the staples.

“We’ll be ready to go soon,” Yakov said.

Viktor watched how the sun had risen over the treetops. He knew he was going to miss the hot days.

When the horse was ready, Yuri climbed into the cart. Yakov thanked the guesthouse owner for all his help with many friendly words. The owner looked equally happy.

“Viktor, will you go sit next to Yuri?” Yakov suggested.

Viktor nodded. He lifted his foot to the step of the cart, when he heard someone call his name from the distance.

Viktor bit his lips. As much as he had hoped that this would happen, now that it was happening, it was only causing him pain. He turned to look at Yuuri, who was running towards them, hair ruffled from sleep and sandals slapping on the stone pavement.

“Viktor!” Yuuri called again, finally slowing down and stopping beside the omega.

Yuuri bent down and leaned on his knees, gasping for air. Viktor knew that Yakov wouldn’t mind the wait, and let the alpha take his time to breathe.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said immediately after he could talk again. “Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving with Yakov and Yura,” Viktor said.

“No, Viktor, please,” Yuuri said, eyes round and terrified.

“It’s better,” Viktor said quietly.

He wasn’t sure how he could explain it. He didn’t know how to put his feelings into words: the way he knew that Yuuri’s parents would never accept him, how Yuuri would only face difficulties with him as his wedded husband rather than with a beautiful wife, how he knew that Yuuri was the only person who trust him in the entire household.

“No,” Yuuri said and burst to tears. “Please, don’t leave me, Viktor.”

Viktor turned to hesitantly look at the two men waiting for him. Yuri was scowling, but Yakov was smiling encouragingly.

“You,” Viktor said slowly. “You and I are different. Our worlds are too different. You should marry that girl and make yourself the life that you need.”

“I need you, Viktor,” Yuuri said, tears flowing down his face unrestrained. “I know I told you that you’re free to go whenever you want, I know that I promised you. But I didn’t realise it would hurt this much.”

Viktor bit his lip.

“You can’t tell me it doesn’t hurt you too,” Yuuri said quietly, pointing towards the shirt Viktor was holding, and took a step forward.

Viktor backed away. Yuuri didn’t follow. He cried harder.

“People heal,” Viktor whispered. “It will get easier.”

Yuuri shook his head like a child that was refusing to believe an obvious thing.

“How could it get easier when you’re my other half?” Yuuri asked pitifully. “You’re everything that was ever missing from my life, and I can’t go back to the way things were before you. I don’t care what others say. Please. Stay.”

Viktor didn’t know what to do. He looked at Yakov, who still had a peaceful smile on his face. The man was urging him to make his own decision, to mould his life into what he himself wanted. He turned to look at Yuri who had crossed his arms and was scowling deeper. It was clear what the omega thought about the situation, but it didn’t help Viktor choose one or the other.

Then he turned to look at Yuuri again. The alpha was looking at him with pleading eyes, the brown of them blurred by tears that were streaking the skin of his face. Viktor wanted to wipe them away, he wanted so badly to take the necessary two steps forward to touch the alpha, hug him and tell him that he wouldn’t leave, that it was all just a big misunderstanding.

Except it wasn’t. Viktor knew that Yuuri had to abide by the rules, and he didn’t fit into those rules. He was all wrong to begin with, and that’s what everyone else thought too. Yuuri should have never gotten close to him in the first place.

They should have never met.

“Please,” Yuuri whimpered and hiccupped.

Viktor glanced at Yakov and Yuri once more.

He knew what he had to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ETA: If you're disappointed by the ending, I have two things to tell you. 1) I don't fucking care, so no need to tell me. 2) I'm actually petty enough to hope that you won't read the sequel because honestly, fuck off with your wrong opinion.
> 
> I wanted this chapter to be longer, but then I also had to remind myself that this is just a hobby and I shouldn't push myself too hard when I struggle with life.
> 
> So here's the thing. I've been crying all day because I'm super upset over something, and reading this chapter before posting was so not the right thing to do because now I'm even more upset. I mean. The thing about this ending is that I love that it leaves things open (although I think it's still rather easy to guess what Viktor's decision is, and no, I won't tell) and open endings are often the best ones because they don't resolve every single thing. However, I'm also sad that this story didn't want to go to a happy fluffy vikyuu always together ending, because damn they both deserve it! I was seriously trying to pull the fic towards the happy ending, but once I had the idea of this ending, I just couldn't stop it from happening.
> 
> Fear not! I already have a sequel planned! Well, the beginning of the sequel at least. I don't know when I'll start working on it. I want to take a break from this universe because can you believe I've spent the past 2,5 months writing this? But also it's easier to remember stuff if I start writing soon. So that remains to be seen.
> 
> Also this is the longest fic I've ever written (unless you count the Heatwave AU, but you shouldn't because that's several fics in a series). In fact, this is the longes anything I've ever written, and I've written several books! Still kind of bummed that I didn't reach 100k.
> 
> Thank you everyone who has commented and supported me! The comments keep me motivated, because my sole purpose of writing is to share with other people and communicate and reach out. This fic has brought me so many comments it's totally unbelievable! Thank you everyone, and hopefully I will see you in the sequel!
> 
> I have [a dedicated writing blog](http://mean-whalewrites.tumblr.com) but also sometimes talk about writing [on twitter](http://twitter.com/mean_whale), but to follow me on twitter please be over 18!


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